Is a Wall Enough?

Ed 1The town of Jersey City is getting ready to join Hoboken and New York in a project that they hope will prevent another catastrophe like Hurricane Sandy. They plan to construct a two-mile-long seawall that would be eight feet higher than the present ten-foot wall. That is four feet higher than the 14-foot storm surge caused by Sandy. The plan is in the very early stages. A lot of decisions have to be made.

 

Those in favor of the project hope it will be a real boost to development in the area. The wall will be built 200 feet east of the present wall. It would “seal” with the Hoboken wall and run south, all the way to Liberty Park. Then the land will be filled in and construction will be necessary. Some people think this will encourage the residential developers to get involved. Most of the waterfront is lined with commercial buildings at present. It is hoped that it would now become an attractive residential area.

 

Another part of the project that is in the early stages of planning is an upgrade to the city’s sewer and water systems. This is necessary to prevent flooding from heavy rains. Commissioners are now in the process of choosing an engineering firm to handle this part of the plan.

 

Approval of the plan is not unanimous. Some are concerned that the project is too local. They think there should be a united plan by all the coastal towns. The fear is that if everyone isn’t on the same page, efforts in one town may make things worse in a neighboring town. Another fear is that storm surges will increase in number and size, and eventually get over the wall anyway. One alternative idea is to remove fill from Liberty State Park to attract floodwaters. They think that is a better and a less expensive way to prevent floods in the future.

 

Early estimates of the cost of the project are a sum of $2 billion. Guesses at how long it would take to complete the wall and upgrades run from 5 to 15 years. They must also figure out which state and federal agencies would need to sign off on it. As I said, there are a lot of decisions still to be made.

 

What are your thoughts on the proposed seawall?

 

Eddie

 

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