SIRR- CH 1177 A STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT NEW YORK busy streets of Lower Manhattan to her destination. In addition to shifting from one locale to another and from one …

Credit: NYCDOT

CHAPTER 10 | TRANSPORTATION 174

Transportation

A STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT NEW YORK175

It carries one-third of all transit riders andtwo-thirds of all rail riders in the nation. Itincludes the nation’s busiest rail hub and thelargest bus and rail car fleets. It encompasses6,000 miles of streets, 12,000 traffic signals,and nearly 800 bridges (including more than acouple of famous ones).

And, of course, it boasts the one and onlyStaten Island Ferry.

This complex behemoth is the New York region’stransportation network. It encompasses thelargest public transportation system in America,made up of subway networks, bus networks,commuter railroad networks, and ferrynetworks. And each of these networks is, in andof itself, staggeringly large.

Under normal conditions, the interconnectednetworks work together, adding up to anextraordinary supersystem, upon which NewYorkers—and the economy of the city, region,and nation—all depend. Day and night, millionsof New Yorkers and visitors use this system totravel to and from work, school, shops, andcultural events, while goods move around theregion by road, rail, and water. The city thatnever sleeps fittingly has a transportationsystem that never sleeps—until, with Sandy, nearly every element of New York’stransportation system shut down.

Sandy’s storm surge flooded vehicular tunnels,subway stations, roads, and airports. Transportation outages followed, impairingmobility and access to, from, and within the city and the region, and affecting 8.5 millionpublic transit riders, 4.2 million drivers, and 1 million fliers.

Even after Sandy had departed, damage andpower outages prevented restoration of thesubway system for several days, with key sections shut for a week or longer. Respondingquickly, City and State officials instituted a series of interim solutions to fill the transportationgap—including sending hundreds of buses tocarry commuters back and forth across EastRiver bridges and adding ferry service.However, damage to various elements of thesystem was severe—totaling many billions ofdollars. In fact, as of the writing of this report,some elements still are not fully functional andwill not be for months or even years.

The storm not only caused disruption; itdemonstrated the centrality of the transportationsystem to the city’s economy and overall abilityto function. It also laid bare the vulnerabilitiesof various parts of the system to extremeweather and pointed to challenges that the region faces in increasing resiliency, given thesize and complexity of its transportation system.

But these challenges must be tackled. In keeping with the broad goals of thisreport—which are to minimize disruptionscaused by climate change and to enable NewYork City to bounce back when extremeweather events strike—the City will work tomake the transportation system more resilient.It will seek to protect critical elements of the system from damage, maintain systemoperations during extreme events, and put in place plans for backup transportationoptions to increase mobility until regularservices can be restored.

How the Transportation System Works

Transportation in New York City is complex dueto the many different modes of travel, the waysthey interact, and the grand scale of it all. And New Yorkers use this system inoverwhelmingly large numbers, with 7.6 milliondaily subway and bus riders, close to 850,000daily commuter rail riders, and almost 2 millionpeople crossing the region’s major bridges andtunnels every day. This network is busy formuch of the day and night—not just duringtraditional commuting hours—with freightmoving around the region by truck, hospitalworkers going to and from their shifts, and local residents and tourists visiting the city’smany attractions.

The area of Manhattan south of 60thStreet—the business center of the region andthe nation—draws commuters to jobs from all over the New York area and beyond. Over3.6 million travelers enter this district every

weekday, with 1.4 million of those enteringduring the three-hour morning peak. Publictransportation is absolutely critical to thistravel, since 75 percent of those trips into thecentral business districts are made by publictransit. Of those who do drive into this area,the majority depend on crossing a bridge ortunnel to do so, including 220,000 enteringfrom Brooklyn, 175,000 entering from Queens,and 115,000 entering from New Jersey.

Travel within and among the outer boroughs ismore varied. The use of buses is significantoutside of Manhattan—with 2.1 million dailybus users in the other boroughs—as is the useof private vehicles, particularly for longer tripsbetween the outer boroughs, where driving isgenerally faster and more direct. Many outerborough trips also require a major bridgecrossing, and trips to and from Nassau andSuffolk Counties must pass through New YorkCity. Close to a million trips pass betweenNassau County and Queens every day, and over500,000 trips cross the major bridges thatconnect between the outer boroughs every day.

While the city’s transportation system is highlyinterconnected, it also does not exist inisolation. Instead, it is one network among themany that keep New York running. For example,the transportation network in the city dependson the power network to function; electricity isneeded to run subways and trains, to switch ontraffic signals, and to light tunnels, stations, andterminals. And, in turn, many of the city’s othercritical networks rely, wholly or in part, on thetransportation network to run properly; this isespecially true in times of emergency, whenfirst responders and those bringing key

Stillwell Avenue subway station in Coney Island Credit: Zev Starr-Tambor


supplies (such as food and fuel) must be ableto reach individuals and communities that arein desperate need.

However, due to historical developmentpatterns and operational needs, many parts ofthe city’s transportation infrastructure arelocated near the waterfront or in low-lyingareas, making them particularly vulnerable tothe effects of climate change. This is true formany rail yards, which require large, flatexpanses of land of the type frequently foundnear rivers and the shoreline. Similarly, bydefinition, ferry terminals must be at water’sedge and close to the level of the water. Otherassets are on the waterfront because that iswhere land was available or could be createdthrough fill—this is how, for example, NewYork’s airports were sited.

Some transportation assets, meanwhile, arenot just at sea level, but are actually built belowsea level. This is the case for the large segmentsof the city’s transportation network that were built underground (including tunnels for vehicles and trains), designed both to spanwater bodies and to provide higher speed andgreater capacity connections through denseand congested areas.

Transportation NetworksThe first formal transportation elements todevelop in New York City were its roads, which,under the Dutch and later the English, evolvedfrom a network of Native American tradingpaths. In fact, Broadway, the oldest north-souththoroughfare in the city, was designed toconnect the street network in Lower Manhattan(initially used by people on foot and on horse)to the northern reaches of the borough—and on into the Bronx and beyond. TheCommissioners’ Plan of 1811 laid out what istoday perhaps the most distinctive aspect ofNew York’s City’s street network: Manhattan’smodern street grid.

New York’s ferry system, too, has a longpedigree. New Yorkers always have used the waterways to get around. Since the city’s earliest days—especially before thedevelopment of long-span bridges—ferrieshave provided key water crossings, connectingBrooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and NewJersey to Manhattan, both as stand-aloneservices and as links from rail terminals.

Over time, as New York City grew, it becameincreasingly important to link the soon-to-beconsolidated boroughs effectively. Accordingly,in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Cityundertook a major program of bridge-building,completing some of the city’s most iconic spans,including the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges

over the East River. With the same goal in mind,New York City also worked with the InterboroughRapid Transit (IRT) Company to create its initialunderground connections, opening the firstsubway line in 1904. The subway system hassince expanded to become the largest in theworld, with 659 miles of track and 468 stations,playing a critical role in making New York theglobal city it is today.

As the city continued to expand through the20th century, New York’s water-spanningtradition was picked up by the Port Authority ofNew York and New Jersey (the Port Authority)and the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority(which subsequently became part of theMetropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA).These two agencies built four bridges, and twotunnels connecting New Jersey to New YorkCity, and seven bridges and two tunnels withinthe city. Meanwhile, in the latter half of the 20thcentury, the region’s three major airports,including Kennedy and LaGuardia in Queens,became international gateways that, together,host more passenger traffic each year than theairports in any other metropolitan area outsideof London.

In recent years, the City has expanded itstransportation network by promoting a rangeof alternatives to driving, thus increasing the

flexibility and efficiency of the system. Forexample, the City has expanded its pedestrianand bicycle networks. Walking has alwaysplayed an important role for all manner of localtrips and to gain access to the transit network,and cycling volumes in the city continue togrow. In addition, the City has maximizedinter-modal connections and added several BusRapid Transit (BRT) routes (known in New Yorkas Select Bus Service), or dedicated buscorridors that improve the speed, reliability,and attractiveness of bus service. Additionally,after many years during which the use ofprivate ferries waned as new bridges andtunnels were built, the City, over the last 15years, has helped bring about a renaissance inthis transit mode, spurred by rising congestionon other networks and redevelopment of the waterfront neighborhoods of New York City and New Jersey. (See map: RegionalTransportation Network)

Transportation OperatorsAll of New York’s various transportationnetworks and services are linked in many ways,allowing a New Yorker or a visitor to the city to connect easily from one mode to another.So, for example, a marketing executive fromPhiladelphia might take an Amtrak train to PennStation, then transfer to a subway, only to getoff several stops later to hustle through the

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busy streets of Lower Manhattan to herdestination. In addition to shifting from onelocale to another and from one transportationnetwork to another, in making this trip, thisvisitor is also passing through multiplejurisdictions, from a system run by a Federalcorporation, to one that is run by an authorityunder the control of the State, to one that is runby the City.

As illustrated in this example, many agenciesmanage different elements of New York’stransportation system. For example, the NewYork City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT)has responsibility for roads and certain highwaysin the five boroughs, as well as over 12,000traffic signals and 787 bridges. These bridgesinclude the famous East River spans and 25movable bridges that open and close to allowmarine traffic to pass. NYCDOT also runs theStaten Island Ferry (SIF) and regulates allconstruction work on roadways and sidewalks,including work related to underground utilities.Additionally, since the launch of PlaNYC in 2007,NYCDOT has successfully expanded the city’sbicycle network. It also has played a critical role, in partnership with the MTA, in creating multiple Select Bus Service (SBS) routes thatmake bus service faster and more reliablearound the city.

Two other important transportation agencies inNew York City are the MTA and Port Authority.

The MTA, a State authority, operates thenation’s largest transit network and isresponsible for the city’s subway system, mostof its buses, the Long Island Rail Road andMetro-North Railroad, and the tolled bridgesand tunnels within New York City. Meanwhile,the Port Authority—an entity controlled jointlyby the States of New Jersey and New York—isresponsible for the city’s airports, the bridgesand tunnels connecting New York City to NewJersey, regional bus terminals, the PortAuthority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system, andmajor parts of the region’s ports infrastructure.

Other agencies that play central roles intransportation in New York City include thefollowing: • New York City Economic Development

Corporation (NYCEDC), which is responsiblefor the East River Ferry, certain private ferryterminals, the City’s cruise ship terminals,two heliports, parts of the region’s portinfrastructure, and portions of the city’sfreight railroad lines;

• New York State Department of Transportation,(NYSDOT) which is responsible for certainhighways within the city and manages majorhighway construction improvements;

• New Jersey Transit (NJ TRANSIT), whichoperates rail and bus service between thecity and New Jersey;

• Amtrak, which operates intercity rail serviceto and from New York City, the non-subway

rail tunnels under the Hudson River and theEast River, as well as Pennsylvania Station,the busiest transit hub in the country; and

• the Federal government—which, through various agencies, including the Departmentof Transportation—provides major capitalfunding for many of the region’stransportation systems.

Finally, a variety of private entities play roles,both large and small, in the city’s transportationsystem. These include the operators of taxiand black-car fleets, private ferries, commutervans, local and intercity buses, maritime freightterminals and vessels, and airlines.

What Happened During Sandy

Sandy had a massive impact on the transportationsystem within New York City and the surroundingregion, with the greatest impact felt on those elements located underground and close to theshoreline. The storm caused extensive damageand impaired the ability of the system to movepeople in and around the city and region.

The storm had an impact on transportation in New York City even before it arrived. Starting the day before Sandy hit, most publictransportation agencies made the decision toinitiate an orderly shutdown of their systems toprotect transit vehicles (often referred to asrolling stock) and critical infrastructure, and toensure public safety. So, for example, the MTA installed plywood and sandbag barriers atcritical station entrances and ventilation grates,while it also moved subway cars, buses, andtrains to higher ground. At ferry landings and terminals around the city, gangways wereremoved to allow floating elements to movewith the tide and expected storm surge withoutdamaging buildings and facilities. SIF and private ferry service was halted. All seven activeSIF vessels were then docked at the St. GeorgeFerry Terminal on Staten Island, with more than100 dedicated employees remaining on duty toprotect the fleet.

Due to concerns about high winds and flooding, the Port Authority, MTA, and NYCDOTclosed the city's major bridges and tunnelscrossings, with the exception of the Lincoln Tunnel, the entrances to which were deemed tobe high enough above the Hudson River to beat low risk of flooding. Meanwhile, airlines flewtheir planes out of harm’s way, sheltering themat airports out of Sandy's path.

However, once Sandy arrived, its storm surgeseverely impacted many elements of thetransportation system, including subway,railroad, and vehicular tunnels. Stormwaters

Days After Sandy

East

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ay T

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0

2

4

6

8

10

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Subway Tunnel Closures After Sandy

Source: NYCDOT, MTA, and Port Authority of NY & NJ


flooded tunnel entrances and ventilationstructures in Southern Manhattan, Long IslandCity, Red Hook, Hoboken, and Jersey City.Vehicular tunnels that were knocked out ofservice were NYCDOT’s Battery Park Underpassand West Street Underpass, the MTA’s QueensMidtown and Hugh L. Carey (formerly Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnels, and the Port Authority’sHolland Tunnel. Also inundated were all six ofthe subway tunnels connecting Brooklyn toManhattan, the Steinway Tunnel that carries the7 train from Queens to Manhattan, and the Gtrain tunnel between Long Island City andGreenpoint. The PATH tunnels under theHudson River also were flooded, with waterentering via various entrances on both the New York and New Jersey sides, as were therailroad tunnels under the East River and the Hudson River. (See chart: Subway TunnelClosures After Sandy)

Other elements of the subway system were impacted as well. For example, the A trainviaduct connecting Howard Beach, Broad Channel, and the Rockaways was washed awayin two locations, while the South Ferry subwaystation in Lower Manhattan was fully flooded to the mezzanine level.

In areas inundated by Sandy, roads similarlywere affected, although these floodwaters typically receded within 12 hours. While 60lane-miles of roadways were damaged severelyand 500 lane-miles of roadways sustainedminor damage, most roadways in inundatedareas were undamaged. However, flooding did damage traffic signals controlling nearly700 intersections when signal control boxesand underground conduits and cables were exposed to the corrosive effects of salt water.

Sandy's surge also affected maritime transportation, damaging landings and docksand inundating facilities on land (including bothcruise terminals and both SIF terminals). The storm’s winds and rising waters battered the SIF vessels, breaking mooring lines and submerging the docks. To prevent the shipsfrom crashing into the shore, the captains of sixferries remained at the helm and successfullymaneuvered the propulsion systems againstthe force of the storm. When the unmannedAlice Austen broke free of its moorings andlurched towards the Sen. John J. Marchi, crewsdeveloped improvised fenders, protecting both ships from damage.

Surge waters inundated rail yards and airports.Several low-lying rail yards were flooded,including the MTA’s Coney Island Yard complex inBrooklyn and the LIRR’s John D. Caemmerer WestSide Yard in Manhattan. Meanwhile, the city’sairports were flooded by waters from Jamaica

Bay and Long Island Sound, but these waters didnot reach the terminals, where the most sensitiveand highest value equipment is located.

Sandy’s surge thrust debris from the shore intothe region's waterways, thereby necessitatinga US Coast Guard shutdown of portions of the Harbor for five days. This decision hamperedthe movement of people and goods, includingfuel as well as other supplies critical to recovery.Beyond the immediate impact of flooding,power outages from Sandy severely affectedthe transportation system. Lack of powermeant that key equipment could not operate(e.g., train lines and tunnel ventilationequipment dependent on electricity). It alsowas a major impediment to the dewatering ofthe major tunnel infrastructure. Eventually, aspower was restored, personnel from localagencies worked with crews from the US ArmyCorps of Engineers, Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA), US Navy, USCoast Guard, and National Guard to pumpseveral hundred million gallons of water fromthese tunnels.

However, the fact that many tunnels wereinundated for days exacerbated the impact offlooding and led to significantly greater waterand corrosion damage to delicate equipment.For example, during the months followingSandy, this lingering damage resulted in morethan 100 signal failures on the subway system,as well as ongoing problems with switches,power cables, and other infrastructure in thesubways. Given the age and complexity ofmuch of this equipment, obtaining replacementequipment proved both difficult and expensive.Despite the major disruptions and damage,much of the transportation system faredrelatively well. For example, Sandy had a minorimpact on the MTA’s vehicles, thanks to the

The Battery Park Underpass in Lower Manhattan flooded from floor to ceiling.

The lower level of the Whitehall Staten Island Ferry Terminal inLower Manhattan suffered significant flooding during Sandy.

Credit: NYCDOT

Credit: NYCDOT


agency’s successful relocation of this rollingstock out of harm’s way. Meanwhile, theregion’s freight rail infrastructure also emergedfrom the storm with minimal damage, althoughsome service disruptions did occur due toflooding and debris on tracks. Because windspeeds during Sandy were lower than earlierstorms, the major bridges were able to reopenwithin 12 hours of the storm's conclusion,following safety inspections by engineers. (Seechart: Major Vehicular Bridge and TunnelClosures After Sandy)

However, the overall transportation systemstruggled to reopen, affecting millions ofcommuters. In the first two days following Sandy,for a variety of reasons, many people stayed at

home and most businesses in impacted areasremained shuttered. However, by the third dayafter the storm, people started to attempt toreturn to their normal routines. With the subwayand other major systems still partially out ofservice, New Yorkers were forced to improvise.In some cases, this improvisation turned masstransit users into bikers or walkers. In manyother cases, however, these mass transit usersturned to automobiles. The result was gridlock,especially on roads and bridges leading intoManhattan. In fact, during this period, averagehighway speeds dropped by as much as 71 percent, relative to speeds on normalweekdays. (See chart: Highway Travel Speedsat Selected Locations)

To maintain critical routes, City and Stateofficials quickly implemented a series oftemporary measures. Many of these measureswere conceived on the spot immediately after Sandy hit. However, from temporary ferry routes, to bus bridges, to carpoolrequirements, together, they proved to behugely successful in getting people movingagain. (See chart: East River Crossings Beforeand After Sandy; see sidebar: TemporaryServices Help Restore Mobility After the Storm)

As time progressed, much of the city'stransportation network was brought back online.The ferry and marine transportation networks,for example, took between two days and a weekto restore, while airports were back in operationwithin three days of the storm. The subwaysmostly were restored a week after Sandy, withvehicular tunnels taking closer to a week and ahalf to return to partial service due to damage tothe ventilation equipment. By two weeks afterSandy, most of the city's transit network wasfunctioning at or near normal capacity.

Certain elements took longer and in somecases, are still out of service as of the writing ofthis report, including portions of the subwaysystem. For example, the Montague StreetTunnel used by the R train was restored eightweeks after Sandy (but will be taken out ofservice again for longer-term repairs), and thecauseway that carries the A train connectingHoward Beach to the Rockaways was restoredat the end of May 2013. Full restoration ofSouth Ferry subway station in Lower Manhattanis expected to take several years.

In response to these longer-term transit outagespost-Sandy–and generally to provide expandedmobility and access options—the following newand enhanced services were added:

Gowanus Expressway/BQE Northbound from Bay Ridge to Atlantic Avenue-Travel Speeds (mph)

Typical Average

Post-Sandy

BQE Northbound from Atlantic Avenue across Brooklyn Bridge-Travel Speeds (mph)

43

22

6

21

32

24

11

24

Average Midweek vs. WednesdayOct. 31

(2 days after Sandy)

Average Friday vs. FridayNov. 2*


Average Midweek vs. WednesdayOct. 31


Average Friday vs. FridayNov. 2*


Average travel speedsfell dramatically, butrecovered after temporary measureswent into effect.

Source: NYCDOT*Note: Bus bridges and HOV requirements were in effect on Nov. 2

Highway Travel Speeds at Selected Locations

11*10*9*8*7*6*5*4321

Days After Sandy

15

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1 1

3

Bridges

Tunnels

*partial tunnel closures continued due to ventilation system damage

Major Vehicular Bridge and Tunnel Closures After Sandy

Source: NYCDOT, MTA, and Port Authority of NY & NJ


• new ferry services from both the Rockawaysand Staten Island to Lower Manhattan and Midtown to compensate for lost orconstrained transit service;

• an H shuttle subway train, with anaccompanying shuttle bus to the HowardBeach subway station through the Rockaways,to compensate for the loss of A train serviceacross Jamaica Bay; and

• the reopening of the former South FerryTerminal below the Whitehall Ferry Terminal,to allow 1 train service to the southern tip ofManhattan while the damaged South FerryTerminal was being repaired.

Even as the city's transit system resumed mostservice, however, it was clear that Sandy'sdamage had been done. In total, close to 8.6 million daily public transit riders, 4.2 milliondrivers, and 1 million airport passengers wereimpacted by the shutdown of various systems.In addition, it is estimated that Sandy hasresulted in a staggering $8 billion in physicaldamage to the region's transportationinfrastructure, including $700 million in damage to NYCDOT’s facilities and equipment.

What Could Happen in the Future

Looking to the future, the city's transportationsystem faces significant climate risks, includingthe risk of storm surge and flooding from coastalstorms, heavy downpours, and sea level rise.

Major RisksThe greatest future risk to the city'stransportation network is storm surge—a riskthat, as Sandy illustrated, is significant eventoday primarily because so many critical pieces

of transit infrastructure are located within the100-year floodplain, the area that has a 1 percentor greater chance of flooding in any given year. The recently released Preliminary WorkMaps (PWMs) from the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) define the 100-yearfloodplain as an area that already includesapproximately 12 percent of the roadwaynetwork, all of the major tunnel portals otherthan the Lincoln Tunnel, portions of bothairports, a variety of commuter rail assets, allthree heliports, and a number of subwayentrances and vent structures, principally inLower Manhattan. (See map: TransportationNetwork in the 2013 PWMs 100-Year Floodplain)

Going forward, the risks associated with stormsurge will grow more severe, as rising sea levelsincrease the impact of those surges and turnminor surges into major events. According toprojections from the New York City Panel onClimate Change (NPCC), described in Chapter 2 (Climate Analysis), sea levels are forecast torise through the 2020s and 2050s. During thisperiod, the floodplain will expand. By the2020s, the floodplain is estimated toencompass 15 percent of the city's roadwaynetwork, and by the 2050s, it is expected toencompass 19 percent of that network. Moreand more of the City’s airport infrastructure willbe at risk as storm surges will move from

Subways

Total

Buses

Pedestrian

Bicycle

Ferries

Tunnels-Private Vehicles

Bridges-Private Vehicles

520,000

17,400

1,100

3,500

900

25,000

54,000

0

12,200

10,900

5,400

0

0

54,000

55,000

Typical WeekdayOct. 31

(2 days after Sandy)Nov. 2*


61,300

7,800

7,800

2,400

0

92,000

621.9K 82.5K 226.3K

Source: NYCDOT

Temporary Services Help Restore Mobility After the StormOn a normal day, the subway carries about 80 percent of the people crossing the East River into Manhattan. Following Sandy, however,with subway service across the river entirely shut down for a number of days, many people tried to commute by car. Gridlock ensued. Itquickly became clear that the transportation network simply was not designed to handle the spike in drivers attempting to enter thecentral business district south of 60th Street.

In response, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT), the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the MetropolitanTransportation Authority (MTA) instituted a series of measures to limit the number of cars coming into Manhattan but still get peopleacross the river. First, cars entering Manhattan’s central business district were required to have three or more occupants. Second, theNYPD, NYCDOT, and the MTA implemented three new temporary, high-capacity, point-to-point bus routes (which quickly became knownas “bus bridges”), connecting Downtown Brooklyn and Williamsburg with Midtown Manhattan, using 300 buses that the MTA divertedfrom other routes. Third, the East River Ferry service pattern was modified to increase capacity and provide faster service along routeswith the highest demand, taking advantage of the infrastructure already in place and the vessels on hand.

The challenges inherent in communicating information about these temporary measures in the immediate post-Sandy environment initiallyled to some confusion among travelers—particularly those drivers who had to be turned away as they tried to enter Manhattan becausethey did not meet the occupancy requirements. However, these measures accomplished their desired goal, together enabling over226,000 commuters to cross the East River—almost triple the number able to cross before these measures were in place.

*Note: Bus bridges and HOV requirements were in effect on Nov. 2

East River Crossings Before and After Sandy

Below-Ground Subway Stations

Above-Ground Subway Stations

Rail Yards

Tunnel Entrances

Tunnels

Airports

June 2013 PWMs 100-Year Flodplain

Inset: Lower Manhattan

Hugh CareyTunnel

Holland Tunnel

See Inset Map


flooding outlying runways to threatening theterminal buildings, while additional subwaystations will be at risk.

More intense downpours expected withclimate change also pose a major risk to thetransportation system. As with storm surge,heavy downpours pose the most significantchallenge to subway and vehicular tunnelsthroughout the city, particularly in locations wheretunnel entrances are located in low-lying areas orin areas with poor subsurface drainage. Examplesof infrastructure matching this flood profileinclude the F train on Hillside Avenue in Queensand several subway lines in Lower Manhattan.Generally, heavy downpours are expected to poseonly a moderate risk to roads and bridges, which may experience more frequent temporaryflooding, but not more lasting damage.

Other RisksHigh winds are likely to represent a moderaterisk to the above-ground portions of the city'stransportation infrastructure, such as trafficsignals, signs, bridges, and street lights. Theyalso could pose challenges to the aviationsystem, interfering with flight operations and,in the worst cases, creating safety hazards.Although high winds can cause power outages,which have serious impacts on the trans-portation network as a whole, it is not believedthat these impacts will be greater than thosefacing the city today.

Heat waves, meanwhile, present a moderatethreat to the city's ground transportationinfrastructure, though it is not expected tobecome materially greater until the 2050s. Heatwaves could create problems with opening andclosing movable bridges and cause softening ofasphalt roads. Heat waves also could become an issue for the subway system, increasingtemperatures on platforms to levels that couldturn what, today, is only a passenger comfortissue into a passenger safety issue. Moreover,heat waves could increase the potential for poweroutages, which affect transportation networksacross the board.

Finally, sea level rise in and of itself is expectedto pose a low risk to the city's transportationinfrastructure for the next three decades.However, by the 2050s tidal flooding—alreadyan issue for some low-lying areas—couldbecome more widespread along the waterfront,including areas such as Southern Brooklyn andSouth Queens. Waterfront assets including thecity's airports and ferry terminals could beplaced at risk by this periodic flooding threat.

The South Ferry Station in Lower Manhattan was flooded to the mezzanine level. Credit: MTAPhotos

Source: FEMA, CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities

Transportation Network in the 2013 PWMs 100-Year Floodplain


Scale of Impact

Hazard Today 2020s 2050s Comments

Gradual

Sea level rise Some protection required, but most infrastructure is above future sea level

Increased precipitation

Minimal impact

Higher average temperature

Minimal impact

Extreme Events

Storm surge Increased flooding of key at-grade and underground infrastructure as storms worsen

Heavy downpour Flooding of underground infrastructure possible during heaviest downpours

Heat waveMovable infrastructure (bridges, switches) could be impacted, as well as safety/comfort on subway platformsINDIRECT: reduced electrical supply reliability impacts many aspects of infrastructure

High winds General damage to infrastructure possible, as well as impact on aviation

Asset Impacts

HazardRoads, Bridges, and

Vehicular TransportationFerries and Marine

TransportTunnels and Subways

Rail(includes above- ground subways)

Airports

Gradual

Sea level rise

Extreme Events

Storm surge

Heavy downpour

Heat wave

High winds

Risk Assessment: Impact of Climate Change on TransportationMajor Risk Moderate Risk Minor Risk

Risk Assessment: Impact of Climate Change by Category of Transportation AssetMajor Risk Moderate Risk Minor Risk

Note: This chart excludes increased precipitation and higher average temperature becausethese are expected to have minimal impact on the transportation system


As outlined above, climate change could havea significant impact on the city's transportationinfrastructure, ranging from short-term outagesto direct damage—or even destruction ofcritical assets, in some cases. These impactsmay make it difficult for commuters to travel towork and school and will hinder the economicand social life of the city.

To mitigate these impacts, the City and othertransportation system operators will have toprotect their critical assets—particularly thosemost vulnerable to damage and with thegreatest economic and mobility value.However, they also will have to ensure bothmaximum system redundancy (offering transitusers as many different routes as possible totheir intended destinations) and that they arewell-prepared to restore transportationservices quickly, if and when extreme eventsbreach defenses.

Strategy: Protect assets tomaintain system operations

Given the range of potential climate changeimpacts on the transportation network and the criticality of the transportation network, theCity will implement initiatives to protect theinfrastructure that it controls from damage andloss of service and will call on other agencies toprotect other transportation infrastructure critical to the city.

Initiative 1 Reconstruct and resurface key streetsdamaged by Sandy

Sandy’s waves and flooding caused significantdamage to roadways. To address this damage,subject to available funding, the City, throughNYCDOT, will reconstruct 60 lane-miles ofstreets that were severely damaged andconduct both subsurface and surface repairs.These newly-reconstructed streets also willinclude upgraded resiliency features to prevent future damage. In addition, NYCDOTwill resurface 500 lane-miles of streets withdamaged pavement but underlying structuresthat are in good condition. This initiative isalready underway, with funding from Federaland City sources supporting rapid restorationof transportation services.

Initiative 2Integrate climate resiliency features intofuture capital projects

The city’s roadways are vulnerable to climatechange threats in a variety of ways, includingsurface flooding from heavy downpours, waveaction from storm surge, and asphalt damagefrom heat waves. These threats can havedownstream impacts on other systems(including subways and utilities) and on privateproperty. To mitigate the impact of these threatson streets and other infrastructure, subject toavailable funding, the City, through NYCDOT, willintegrate a variety of climate resiliency featuresinto future street reconstruction projects. Thiswill include integrating storm water managementbest practices and tools. These features allowwater captured on streets to soak into theground rather than flow into the sewer system,resulting in lower drainage loads on both sewersand wastewater treatment plants. (see Chapter12, Water and Wastewater)

While specific climate resiliency features will bedesigned for each location on a case-by-casebasis, the range of tools could include raisingstreet grades, installing bioswales (plantedareas in the sidewalk designed to capturestormwater from the adjacent roadway) and/orpre-cast permeable concrete gutters, andadding or raising bulkheads. These features arealready being integrated into active capitalprojects and this will continue in the future.

Initiative 3Elevate traffic signals and providebackup electrical power

New York’s traffic signals are vulnerable todamage from flooding, as well as to power lossfrom various extreme weather events. Eitherimpact would reduce roadway networkoperational efficiency and could require theplacement of New York City Police Department(NYPD) traffic agents to control traffic. The mostvulnerable elements of the city’s traffic signalsare the signal controllers housing the electricalequipment that operates the traffic signal andcommunicate with the NYCDOT TrafficManagement Center. Accordingly, subject toavailable funding, the City, through NYCDOT, will raise controllers at approximately 500intersections in flood-vulnerable locations,placing the electrical hardware above the100-year flood elevation. In tandem with thiseffort, the City also will install power inverters inapproximately 500 NYPD vehicles, which willallow these vehicles to provide backup electricalpower to critical traffic signals in the event thatgrid power is lost. These improvements will takeplace over the next three years and will increasethe resiliency of this critical component of thetransportation network.

INITIATIVES FOR INCREASING RESILIENCY IN TRANSPORTATION

Sandy damaged many miles of City streets. Credit: NYCDOT

This chapter contains a series of initiatives thatare designed to mitigate the impacts of climatechange on New York’s transportation system.In many cases, these initiatives are both readyto proceed and have identified funding sourcesassigned to cover their costs. With respect tothese initiatives, the City intends to proceedwith them as quickly as practicable, upon thereceipt of identified funding.

Meanwhile, in the case of certain other initiatives described in this chapter, thoughthese initiatives may be ready to proceed, theystill do not have specific sources of funding as-signed to them. In Chapter 19 (Funding), theCity describes additional funding sourceswhich, if secured, would be sufficient to fundthe full first phase of projects and programs described in this document over a 10-year period. The City will work aggressively on securing this funding and any necessary third-party approvals required in connectiontherewith (i.e., from the Federal or State governments). However, until such time asthese sources are secured, the City will onlyproceed with those initiatives for which it has adequate funding.


Initiative 4Protect NYCDOT tunnels in Lower Manhattan from flooding

The two tunnels owned by NYCDOT in LowerManhattan—the Battery Park Underpass andthe West Street Underpass—are vulnerable toflooding from both storm surge and heavydownpours, which would significantly disruptLower Manhattan’s transportation network.NYCDOT, therefore, has evaluated a series ofpotential flood protection strategies, includinginstalling floodgates and raising tunnelentrances and ventilation structures aboveflood elevations to provide specific protectionfor sensitive mechanical and electricalequipment, including ventilation, lighting, andsafety systems. Subject to available funding,the City, through NYCDOT, will implement themost promising and cost effective strategies toprovide this protection from water infiltrationand damage. The goal is to begin work in 2014and complete it within five years.

Initiative 5Install watertight barriers to protect movable bridge machinery

The mechanical equipment that allows 25 ofthe city’s bridges to move to provide a clearpath for marine traffic is vulnerable to flooding.Damage to this equipment could impact marineand roadway traffic, if bridges were locked

either open or closed. Subject to availablefunding, the City, through NYCDOT, will installwatertight barriers to protect the bridges’mechanical equipment from flood damage to ensure that these critical crossings function properly.

Initiative 6Protect Staten Island Ferry and private ferry terminals from climatechange-related threats

New York City’s ferry services are vulnerable to disruption and damage from flooding and wind that could lead to extended servicesuspensions and reduced mobility. To maintainservice and allow for quicker servicerestoration, the City, through NYCDOT andNYCEDC, will continue to use Federal TransitAdministration Emergency Relief funds toconstruct physical improvements to the floatinginfrastructure, loading bridges/gangways,pilings, and piers at both the Whitehall andSaint George SIF terminals and at additionalferry landings around the city. Within the nextfour years, NYCDOT and NYCEDC will protectcritical aspects of these facilities by water-proofing certain equipment, relocating otherequipment out of harm’s way, and otherwiseprotecting electrical equipment from damage.

Initiative 7Integrate resiliency into planning and project development

Climate adaptation and resiliency have notbeen critical considerations in prioritizingcapital projects for either Federal or City funds,making it more challenging to fund projectsthat address critical climate change-relatedvulnerabilities in the city’s transportationnetwork. The City, however, already has begunworking with other member agencies of theNew York Metropolitan Transportation Council,which is responsible for prioritizing federaltransportation funding in the New York region,to ensure that resiliency is a factor in suchprioritization. Going forward, the City willadvocate for similar changes in the planningand evaluation factors that are included in the next Federal legislation funding surface transportation.

At the same time, the City will call upon thevarious transportation agencies in the regionto plan jointly for resiliency and adaptation,

thus avoiding duplicative investment andunintended consequences.

Initiative 8Call on non-City agencies to implementstrategies to address climate change threats

Many non-City agencies that own and operatecritical portions of New York City’stransportation system already have called forincreased investment in resiliency andprotection strategies appropriate for their

Various technologies are available to seal tunnel entrances in the event of flooding such as thecloseable flood doors on the Elizabeth River Tunnels in Portsmouth, VA.

Adding System Flexibility

A number of projects that improvethe flexibility of the transportationsystem and create redundant connections along critical corridorsare currently in various phases of development:

• Amtrak’s Gateway Project which seeks to add intercity rail capacity intoNew York City;

• extension of the MTA New YorkCity Transit’s 7 subway line to NewJersey or alternatives that wouldsignificantly expand cross-Hudsoncommuting capacity;

• transit improvements along the North Shore of Staten Island; and

• extension of Metro-North Railroad service to Penn Station.

Credit: The Elizabeth River Tunnel Project, Portsmouth, VA


systems. Without comprehensive implementationof such actions across all transportationsystems, critical assets could remain vulnerableto damage and disruption from future climatechange-related events. Seeking to ensure thatthe city’s entire transportation system isprotected from climate change threats and is prepared for quick restoration following anextreme climate event, the City will call on theseagencies to implement hardening andpreparation measures, including those alreadyoutlined in plans such as the NYS2100Commission Report. Infrastructure protectionshould include the following system elements:• vehicular and rail tunnels, including the

subway system;• bus depots and terminals, and other facilities

that are critical to providing bus service;• rail and subway yards, and other facilities that

are critical to providing rail service;• airport facilities, including runways, lighting

systems, navigation systems, and terminalbuildings; and

• port and marine facilities, particularly thosethat handle critical supplies such as food, fuel,and building materials.

In addition, the City will continue to collaboratewith Federal and State transportation agenciesto support projects that expand the flexibilityand redundancy of the transportation network.(see sidebar: Adding System Flexibility)

Strategy: Prepare the transportation system to restore service after extremeclimate events

The city’s transportation system is too large, toocomplex, and too old for it to be entirely“climate-change-proofed.” In this vein, NewYork’s experience after Sandy demonstrated theimportance of maximizing modal redundancywithin the system, of ensuring that—whensystems are overwhelmed by extreme weatherevents—they are quickly brought back toregular service, and of being prepared to addtemporary services to restore mobility whileoutages continue.

Therefore the City will implement the initiatives below.

Initiative 9Plan for temporary transit services in theevent of subway system suspensions

When major portions of the subway system areout of service, there simply is not sufficientcapacity in the rest of transit network or theroadway system to carry the increased volume


LaGuardia Airport closed due to flooding on its runways. Credit: Port Authority of NY & NJ

The LIRR’s John D. Caemmerer West Side Yard during Sandy.

X

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Temporary “Bus Bridges” (Non-Stop Bus Service) After Sandy

Source: NYCDOT


Credit: MTAPhotos


of commuters and other travelers. To addressthis situation, the City, through NYCDOT, willcontinue to work with its transportationpartners to develop and regularly updateformal plans to provide temporarytransportation services. These services couldinclude temporary, high-capacity “bus bridges”of the type implemented during Sandy,temporary point-to-point ferry services, anddedicated bus lanes and necessaryenforcement, among others. Identifying therange of potential threats to the transit networkand the potential impacts of these threats willbe critical to this effort, enabling agencies todetermine the types of temporary services thatmay be necessary. Detailed strategies alreadyhave been developed and will continue to be refined and expanded by NYCDOT, the MTA, and other regional agencies. NYCDOTsubsequently will acquire and store the trafficcontrol, public information, and other ancillarymaterials necessary to implement thesetemporary services. (See map: Temporary “BusBridges” (Non-Stop Bus Service) After Sandy)

NYCDOT and NYCEDC will work with private ferryfleet operators, and with the MTA and privatebus fleet operators, to investigate the level andtype of support these companies could providein the event of a public transit outage

Finally, NYCDOT will work with the MTA toinvestigate providing city residents with greateraccess to LIRR and Metro-North services duringsignificant emergency events that lead to majortransit disruptions, at fares comparable tothose of the subway. This access would belimited to the periods of major disruption,providing an alternative mobility option similarto the type of "cross-honoring" of tickets thatis often put in place on NJ TRANSIT buses,PATH, and NJ TRANSIT commuter rail followingmajor disruptions of one of those services.

Initiative 10Identify critical transportation networkelements and improve transportationresponses to major events throughregular resiliency planning exercises

Many of the facilities critical to the City’s abilityto respond effectively to a disaster arevulnerable to disruption and damage,potentially impairing delivery of emergencyservices and supplies of food, fuel, andmedicine, as well as impairing the restorationof critical non-transportation infrastructure andeconomic activity. To respond better to avariety of different possible transportationoutage and restoration scenarios, the City,through NYCDOT, will begin immediately towork with a wide range of transportationagencies and other stakeholders around theregion to identify the critical elements of thesurface transportation network that need to beavailable quickly following different types ofevents. The key tool to identify these networkswill be an ongoing series of detailed and multi-disciplinary resiliency planningexercises—and potentially even live drills—thatwill allow these agencies to understand whereresources need to be focused before, during,and after an event. This will provide a basis forprioritizing resiliency investments, improvingoperational response, and disseminatingguidance to transportation stakeholders aboutthe routes that they can expect will be availablefollowing an event.

Initiative 11Develop standard plans for implementing High-Occupancy Vehicle(HOV) requirements

During a number of different events—bothnatural and manmade—that have led tosignificant interruptions of subway service into

and out of Manhattan, the volume of privatevehicles trying to cross into Manhattan hasoverwhelmed available capacity and createdgridlock in locations around the city. In response,the City has implemented requirements thatvehicles entering the Manhattan centralbusiness district have three or more occupants.To improve the future implementation of thesemeasures, the City, through NYCDOT and NYPD,is working to develop standard protocols forimplementing HOV requirements, including theconditions under which these requirements willbe implemented, and the tools that will be usedto communicate this information to the public.NYCDOT, NYPD, and the City’s Office ofEmergency Management are working togetherto formalize any exemptions to the HOVrequirements, including emergency responsevehicles and potentially vehicles carrying keysupplies such as food or fuel or emergencyresponse personnel for private businesses.Detailed planning for this eventuality will becompleted by the relevant agencies by the endof 2013.

Initiative 12Plan for and install new pedestrian andbicycle facilities to improve connectivityto key transportation hubs

Subway service interruptions can cause NewYorkers to turn to walking and biking in largenumbers, overwhelming the current capacity ofpedestrian and bicycle paths, particularly thosecrossing the East River. To provide additionalcapacity in these situations, subject to availablefunding, the City, through NYCDOT and NYPD,will plan for the deployment of temporarypedestrian and bicycle capacity in the event ofan emergency situation. This capacity couldinclude special lanes on East River Bridges andtheir approaches, and lanes that provide accessto ferry landings. These agencies will procure

Protected ferry landings can ensure rapid resumption of service.


and store the materials necessary to implementthese facilities quickly in the event of anemergency, with such materials likely includingstatic signs, temporary traffic control devices,and electronic message signs. Planning for thiseffort will begin in 2013, with the goal to fullydevelop these capacity enhancements by theend of 2014.

The City, through NYCDOT, also will work withCitiBike/NYC Bike Share, which provides atransportation option that does not require gridelectrical power, to explore future expansion ofthe bike share network to areas that arevulnerable to weather-related transportationinterruptions and that are also adjacent toCitiBike’s initial service area, includingneighborhoods such as Red Hook, Greenpoint,and Long Island City. This process will beginafter the full Citibike deployment is complete.

Initiative 13Construct new ferry landings to supportprivate ferry services

Emergencies and other events that disruptsubway or transportation service can createserious challenges to mobility within the city, withresulting economic, community, and socialimpact. To increase the availability of interimtransportation services—particularly betweenthe boroughs—subject to available funding, the City, through NYCEDC, will work to expand thenetwork of ferry landings available for bothregular and emergency use. To support theestablishment of emergency ferry services,NYCEDC will design and procure two new ferry

landing barges that are outfitted with therequired equipment for providing basic ferryservice, with a goal of completing these withinthree years. These barges will be stored in asecure and protected location. When the needarises, they will be deployed within 24 to 48 hoursas temporary landings, allowing for the rapidestablishment of interim service. As part of thisexercise, NYCEDC will work with the New YorkState Department of Environmental Conservationto identify potential locations where these bargesquickly could be deployed adjacent to neighbor-hoods that are vulnerable to climate-relatedtransportation interruptions, in a manner thatminimizes the impact on the natural environment.

In addition, subject to available funding, theCity, through NYCEDC and NYCDOT, will worktogether to deploy four new permanent ferrylandings. These strategic locations will beselected based on the results of the ongoingComprehensive Citywide Ferry Study in (seeInitiative 18 for details on the study). Thelandings will be designed to be mobile so that,in an extreme situation, they can be temporarilyrelocated to provide alternative transit serviceswhere needed. The goal is to begin design ofthese landings later in 2013, with deploymentbased on the results of the ferry study.

Initiative 14Deploy the Staten Island Ferry’s AustenClass vessels on the East River Ferry andduring transportation disruptions

During transit service disruptions that causelarge numbers of commuters to use ferry

services, the increased demand can outstripthe capacity of typical private ferry vessels. Tosupplement East River Ferry capacity duringsuch times, NYCDOT will be prepared to deploythe SIF’s Austen Class vessels for service alongthese routes, developing specific operationalplans for different scenarios. The Austen Classferries, due to their size and maneuverability,have been used on a number of occasions overthe years to assist in emergencies. Each of thetwo vessels can carry 10 times the passengervolume of a typical East River Ferry and could,therefore, during major transportationdisruptions, help meet sudden increases inridership on the East River and potentially inother locations.

Initiative 15Improve at all levels communicationsabout the restoration of transportation services

During and immediately following anemergency situation, communication amongagencies and with the general public can sufferfrom a lack of reliable information and clear communication channels, leading toconsiderable confusion. To improve the flow ofaccurate and reliable information, the City willuse existing interagency working groupsto develop standardized communicationsprotocols for use during transportationdisruptions. The plan will include a standard“playbook” for outreach to agency stakeholdersand the public regarding system status andinterim measures. Truck routes will be aparticular focus, in order to provide accurateinformation to truck companies and driversduring emergencies, minimize the impact oftrucks on the City’s sensitive infrastructure, andfacilitate the safe, fast, and efficient delivery ofrelief supplies.

Strategy: Implement new and expanded services to increase system flexibility and redundancy

During an emergency situation when subwayservice is disrupted, other transportationmodes often are overwhelmed, crippling thecity’s mobility and economy. Greater systemredundancy that adds flexibility to adapt tounexpected events would add to the resiliencyof the transportation network. Beyond creatingadditional capacity and responsiveness on adaily basis, these investments will beparticularly valuable during a variety of weatherevents and other emergency situations.


Existing and Proposed Select Bus Service Corridors

Source: NYCDOT


The City, therefore, will work with itstransportation partners to develop andimplement the new or expanded transitservices described below.

Initiative 16Expand the city’s Select Bus Service network

Subway disruptions or outages can createserious mobility challenges for many NewYorkers. As described above, since 2008 theCity and the MTA have implemented four SBSBus Rapid Transit routes to address generalmobility challenges. These routes also can formthe backbone of high-capacity bus service inthe event of major subway outages. NYCDOT isworking with the MTA to expand the city’s SBSnetwork significantly, building on a plandeveloped jointly in 2010 and reinforced in theNew York State 2100 Report issued in January.Implementation of this plan has already begun,with three new SBS routes ready to launchshortly in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.Planning is underway for the WoodhavenBoulevard corridor in 2013, benefiting some ofthe Southern Queens neighborhoods impactedby Sandy. Subject to available funding, over thenext five years NYCDOT will work with the MTAto implement four additional SBS routes. Alsosubject to available funding, the additional 12routes included in the plan will be launchedsubsequently. (See map: Existing and ProposedSelect Bus Service Corridors)

Initiative 17Expand the network of bus prioritystrategies on arterial highways

During both normal and emergency situations,congestion on the region’s highways can inhibitmobility and slow the city’s recovery. As with theSBS routes, bus priority strategies for express,local, and intercity buses can improve thissituation for both standard and emergencyoperations. Therefore, subject to availablefunding, the City, through NYCDOT, will work toexpand its network of bus priority strategies. Overthe next several years, the intention is to include15 miles of bus priority corridors on majorlimited-access arterial highways, as thesehighways are improved or reconstructed inpartnership with NYSDOT. This effort will focus onhighways on which a variety of buses normallytravel. Building on the State’s Managed Use LanesStudy, these priority corridors will consist of lanesdesigned to help the impacted buses movethrough congested areas quickly and reliably.Types of treatments could include median buslanes (similar to those on the Staten IslandExpressway), contraflow bus lanes (such ascontraflow lanes on the Gowanus Expressway andthe Long Island Expressway), and use of shoulders

for bus traffic (a technique that has been usedsuccessfully in other locations). The goal is toimplement at least one new or expanded buspriority strategy within five years, with additionalfacilities added as opportunities arise.

Initiative 18Expand ferry services in locations citywide

The city's waterways present barriers tomovement when key crossings are disrupted bya storm or other events. Ferry services provide acritical transportation option for connecting thecity across these obstacles under a variety ofconditions, including transit disruptions. To planthese services better, the City, through NYCEDC,is currently updating the ComprehensiveCitywide Ferry Study (first published in 2011) toexplore opportunities for expanding ferry servicebeyond the existing routes. Based on the resultsof this study, the City, subject to availablefunding, will work with its private-sector partnersto provide additional service in appropriatelocations throughout the city. Chapter 14(Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront), Chapter 15 (Eastand South Shores of Staten Island), and Chapter16 (South Queens) provide additional details onpotential new or expanded ferry services in theserespective neigh borhoods. In addition, NYCEDCwill use a Request for Expressions of Interestprocess to identify and validate the mostpromising opportunities for new ferry service.(See map: Citywide Ferry Study).

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Citywide Ferry Study

Staten Island Ferry Resiliency UpgradesAs was proved during Sandy, ferries are acritical lifeline during and after extremeweather events. This is, of course, true forthe Staten Island Ferry, which provides aservice that is directly threatened by climate change. Even as the City invests inwaterfront and terminal infrastructure protections, ferry boats themselves faceoperational challenges and vulnerabilitiesduring extreme weather events. Since threeexisting Barberi-class Staten Island Ferryboats are nearing the end of their usefullives, NYCDOT is preparing to replace theseboats with new ferries with cycloidal propulsion systems. Cycloidal propulsionwill improve ferry boat maneuverability andsafety in high winds, rough waters, and during storm surges. NYCDOT has completed design of these boats and isseeking $300 million in federal funding toprocure them. Accelerating these purchaseswill allow the ferries to be in operation by 2015, providing a resiliency benefit tothe people of Staten Island and the city as a whole.

Documents

SIRR- CH 1177 A STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT NEW YORK busy streets of Lower Manhattan to her destination. In addition to shifting from one locale to another and from one …