Photos: NY Begins Construction On $107 Million ‘Living’ Barriers To Fight The City’s Rising Seas
14 photos
The Living Breakwaters are now being installed off the coast of Staten Island, October 27th, 2021.
A barge mounted equilibrium crane moored off the coast of Staten Island, where it is installing the Living Breakwaters project, October 27th, 2021.
The equilibrium crane sits atop a 250-foot-long barge, which is moored in the shallow waters of Raritan Bay, October 27th, 2021.
A smaller barge holds the stone filled marine mattresses, which are lowered one at a time to the bottom of Raritan Bay. Each mattress is 22 feet long, October 27th, 2021.
Workers attach each mattress to a lifting bar, which the equilibrium crane moves into place. The bar can carry up to four mattresses at a time, weighing 30 tons in total, October 27th, 2021.
A stone filled marine mattress being moved into position, off the southern tip of Staten Island. The mattress is part of Breakwater 2, October 27th, 2021.
A diver helps to guide each mattress into place, before releasing the rigging that attaches it to the lifting bar. The breakwaters will include 1,100 mattresses, October 27th, 2021.
The coast of Tottenville, as seen from the barge mounted equilibrium crane. Homes here are built just a few dozen yards from the water’s edge, October 27th, 2021.
The coastline of Tottenville, with the Living Breakwaters installation barge offshore. A temporary barrier of sand filled TrapBags was built here in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, October 27th, 2021.
Hundreds of these TrapBags have since split open, spilling sand back out onto the beach. Streets and homes here are just a few yards away from the ocean, October 27th, 2021.
A collapsing row of TrapBags, which have been worn down by years of waves. The coast of Tottenville is badly eroded, October 27th, 2021.
Waves lapping away at a small strip of sandy beach. The Living Breakwaters would halt and reverse decades of coastal erosion here, October 27th, 2021.
Empty TrapBags at the edge of the ocean. If another major storm like Sandy were to come ashore today, Tottenville would flood again, October 27th, 2021.
A large section of the coastline in Tottenville is outside of the TrapBag barrier. Homes here are protected by little more than low concrete walls and piles of rocks, October 27th, 2021.