H2M was retained by Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) to evaluate and help advance a conceptual resiliency project consisting of a series of interconnected barriers extending approximately 1,500 feet inland that would protect the Battery Park City property’s northern borders.
Located on the lower west side of Manhattan along the banks of the Hudson River, the Battery Park City is not only subject to high storm surges during events like Hurricane Sandy, it is also located in a densely developed and highly trafficked area of NYC.
H2M engineers analyzed the barrier concept through careful analysis of existing project area conditions. This included field work to record ground elevation data, and review existing buildings, land uses, and visible infrastructure. Field data was coupled with available Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for utilities, land use, sea level rise, and storm surge.
With this information, H2M conducted a preliminary review of cutting edge flood barrier types and technologies for numerous site conditions with varying constraints. Special attention was also given to barriers that could achieve a challenging project goal, crossing West Side Highway. For this area, many barriers that are ‘deployable’ via rising flood waters or were otherwise easily operated, were reviewed along with their potential advantages and disadvantages for the site’s context and challenges. H2M then produced graphics of selected sections of the barrier wall system, proposing concepts that minimized aesthetic changes while meeting project goals of flood protection, ease of deployment, and maintenance.
