New York Construction Report staff writer
A $28.9 million project to upgrade streets, water mains and sewers in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn has been completed nine months ahead of schedule and more than $3.5 million under the original $32.4 million budget.
New infrastructure in Gerritsen Beach includes rebuilt roads and sidewalks as well as new sewers, water mains, catch basins and fire hydrants. Construction took nine months less than anticipated and the project cost was $3.5 million below the original budget.
“The work of protecting our city against climate change is urgent,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Every month and every dollar is critical. That’s why we’re proud to have delivered these critical infrastructure upgrades for Gerritsen Beach nine months sooner than anticipated and more than $3 million under budget. That’s how we ‘Get Stuff Done’ for New Yorkers in every corner of the city.”
Construction began in June 2020, six months later than originally scheduled in order to adjust the design to accommodate specific requests from residents in the community, and ended in December 2022, three months ahead of the original schedule.
DDC managed the project for DEP and DOT and the design was completed by DDC’s In-House Design team.
Work took place on more than 60 individual blocks in Gerritsen Beach, an area that was damaged extensively during Superstorm Sandy.
The Gerritsen Beach project rebuilt more than 60 individual blocks in the neighborhood with new pavement, sidewalks and curbs, new signage, new pedestrian ramps and corner bumpouts that make it safer for pedestrians to cross the street. Overall, 317,000 square feet of roadway, 64,000 square feet of sidewalks and 8,240 feet of curbs were reconstructed. Because of the narrow streets in the area, the project incorporates a shared sidewalk design similar to what DEP, DOT and DDC employed in an ongoing upgrade of streets in Broad Channel, Queens.
Beneath the new streets improvements were also made to the water supply and stormwater drainage systems. Almost 13,000 feet of old water mains were replaced with new pipes, as were 1,050 feet of storm sewers and 1,510 feet of sanitary sewers. Crews also reconstructed two bulkheads where the storm sewers discharge into Shell Bank Creek.
The project also installed 60 new fire hydrants to improve fire response and 72 new catch basins to help drain stormwater from the streets.
“New Yorkers know our communities need high-quality streets and infrastructure to guard against the impacts of climate change,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Along with Mayor Adams and our partners at DEP and DDC, we are delighted to bring new sidewalks, pavement, pedestrian ramps, watermain, catch basin, bulkhead and sewer upgrades to the dynamic Gerritsen Beach community.
“These essential improvements will strengthen climate resiliency as well as improve quality of life and public safety in southern Brooklyn for generations to come.”
This project was supported through a combination of funding that included resources from FEMA after Hurricane Sandy, and funds from the New York State Senate.
