New York to Fence Off Hurricanes with Massive Fence and Gates

New York City is working hard to protect Manhattan from extreme weather. This week, the Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience Project tested new high-tech floodgates under FDR Drive. Time-out tells about an innovation that can be activated by pressing a button.

The flap gate project is expected to be completed by May 2026. The structures will be located from Montgomery Street to the Brooklyn Bridge. The new gates will be activated a few days before a predicted storm with the push of a button.

The gateways will be connected to a resilience project coast East Side: The combined effort will form a 5-mile-long integrated flood protection system extending from Asser Levy Playground to East 25th Street.

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"When the floodgates are not activated, residents have bike lanes on the left, stunning views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and even fishing opportunities," said Tom Foley, the city's commissioner of design and construction.

The Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience Project is one of many initiatives launched in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, which exposed the city's vulnerability to severe storms in 2012.

The city is also focused on strengthening climate change adaptation in other districts.

Earlier this week, for example, officials announced a major redesign of the Coney Island waterfront that will include a variety of coastal protection features designed to help the city better cope with extreme weather events and rising sea levels.