Malliotakis Announces $1 Million for Mid-Island Bluebelt Street Reconstruction Project
(STATEN ISLAND, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today announced $1,000,000 in federal funding she secured for the Mid-Island Blue Belt Street Reconstruction Project. The funding will be used for road reconstruction in the Ocean Breeze section of Staten Island, including new curbs, sidewalks and potential street raising to prevent flooding and ponding.
"New York City's Bluebelt system has helped fortify Staten Island and lessened the severity of flooding, particularly for residents in the Midland Beach and Ocean Breeze communities who know the devastating effects of severe storm water all too well," Malliotakis said. "I'm proud to have secured $1 million in federal funding to build new curbs, sidewalks and street raising where necessary, and to support the installation of new storm sewers, man holes, catch basins and water mains to prevent future flooding and ponding in this area. Securing New York City's fair share of federal infrastructure funding has been one of my top priorities in Congress, and I look forward to seeing this and other flood resiliency projects completed across our borough in the near future."
This project is being conducted in partnership between NYC Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), NYC Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC), and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and includes work along Lincoln Avenue between Boundary Avenue and Sanilac Street, and along Laconia Avenue and Rowan Avenue. The project's scope also includes the installation of approximately 70 linear feet of new storm sewers, the installation of 7,980 timber piles, three manholes and six catch basins, the planting of 452 Caliper trees, and the replacement of 40 linear feet of 8-inch water main. To date, NYCDDC has removed 305 trees, obtained soil and geotechnical samples, completed clearing and grubbing, and excavated approximately 46,400 tons of soil. The project is expected to be completed in Summer 2025.
"This is a good day for the people of this community and beyond," Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said. "Thank goodness we started laying the foundation years ago for this Bluebelt system...There's an old expression, 'When you can work with nature, do so,' and that's exactly what this does, and it does so not only in an esthetically pleasing way, but in an effective way...We're making progress, the teams are working together and that's what we should do. This is government working together."
"What a great Earth Day gift to the communities of Midland Beach and Ocean Breeze, and really the whole East Shore, from our Congresswoman," City Councilman David Carr said. "For so long, the City was looking for support from our federal government for so many important infrastructure projects, and our Congresswoman time and again is delivering on these issues...This project is incredibly important because as great as the Bluebelt is, if you don't have the right streetscape, if you don't have the right pitching, if the catch basins aren't in the right place, the water never reaches them and then they never get into these BMPs, these drainage ponds, in order to make it back out to sea."
WATCH MALLIOTAKIS' PRESS CONFERENCE HERE
Malliotakis voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), that as of March 2024, has provided New York State with $22 billion for 515 infrastructure projects, including over $360 million specifically for sewer resilience and flood mitigation. Malliotakis has ensured the East Shore Seawall project is fully funded, with the bidding process for the first phase (the drainage portion) having taken place last week, with a number of contractors interested. Malliotakis has also called on the State to lift its arbitrary cap on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund so New York City can receive an equitable share share of infrastructure funding proportional to its population.