A $28.9 million project to upgrade streets, water mains and sewers in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn has been completed. The NYC Department of Environmental Protection, the NYC Department of Transportation and the NYC Department of Design and Construction announced that construction on the project took nine months shorter than expected and saved $3.5 million from the original $32.4 million 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.
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.
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.
“The upgrades in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn shows how far community engagement, innovative design, and multiagency coordination can take large-scale construction projects – with money saved and construction timelines shorter,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
“I’m excited to see this project be completed thoroughly and quickly to provide safer streets and sewer upgrades to Gerritsen Beach after the devastation the community endured during Hurricane Sandy. Thank you to the NYC DDC, DOT and DEP for their work in completing this project with resiliency to extreme climate events in mind.”
