TRAVIS — The city will raise the roadway of Travis Avenue to help curb the constant flooding problems of the street, officials said.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation released a request for proposals to build a bridge over the existing stretch of Travis Avenue to reduce flooding, Councilman Steven Matteo and the city's Chief Resilience Officer Daniel Zarrilli announced.
"Elevating a section of this important arterial road will mitigate the constant flooding by allowing the tide water to run its natural course, while at the same time save the city the millions of dollars it spends each year repairing the damage the water causes," Matteo said in a statement.
"The issuance of this RFP to redesign Travis Avenue is not only a big step forward for a project that has been a long time in the making, it represents a strong commitment to me by this administration to make it a reality."
The plan calls to elevate the stretch of Travis Avenue, between Victory Boulevard and Mulberry Avenue, by building a bridge so rainwater can flow through the wetlands below it, according to Matteo's office.
That portion of Travis Avenue runs through the William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge wetland, which collects water from rain and tidal surges and floods onto the street, Matteo said. The runoff causes potholes and other road damage.
After pushes for fixes by Matteo, the city agreed to study several proposals in 2015 as part of its push to increase resiliency in the five boroughs.
The Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency completed a feasibility study for several fixes last year, which ranged from $3 to $60 million, and selected the bridge proposal, a spokesman for Matteo said.
The city has not determined a final cost or estimated construction date for the roadway elevation. The deadline for the RFP is April 4.
