STATEN ISLAND — A flood prevention plan that would build a seawall along Staten Island's coastline has secured $2 million in federal funding, officials announced.
The Army Corps of Engineers' storm prevention plan for the East Shore of the borough was allocated the Hurricane Sandy-funds to start design work.
"When it comes to protecting Staten Island from damaging storms and surges, we have to utilize every tool in the tool box and that is why hammering out a plan for the island's sea wall is so critical," said Sen. Charles Schumer in a statement.
"These resiliency funds will drive the first nail into the plan to construct the sea wall and protect homeowners, business owners and all of the resources that define this cherished island."
The funds will be used for field surveys and construction plans.
Since the federal government has already allocated the funds, the project would not be affected by President Donald Trump's plan to strip grant money from sanctuary cities like New York, according to a spokesman for Staten Island Rep. Dan Donovan.
Elected officials — including Schumer, Donovan and Borough President James Oddo — called on the government to speed up approval processes and vowed to keep the project on schedule moving forward.
"This marks the beginning of an intensive design process that will lay the groundwork for one of Staten Island’s most transformative projects," Donovan said in a statement.
"The seawall is so important to protecting life and property and to reducing flood insurance premiums. We’ll continue to aggressively push to keep the project on schedule."
The plan calls for the installation of a 20-foot-high levee on a section of Hylan Boulevard in Oakwood with a structure that can be closed off during storms. The levee will lead into a mixture of buried seawall made of stone that run across the shoreline until Fort Wadsworth.
After the design phase, the project will move to construction which is expected to start in late 2018 or early 2019, officials said.
