SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Notify NYC sent the following alert:

Due to a restoration project in Jamaica Bay, multiple, daily bridge lifts of the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge that began January 26th will be extended through March. The lifts will take place around-the-clock and require full closure of the bridge to traffic. It takes roughly 15 minutes to raise and lower the bridge. Motorists are advised to use Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge as an alternate route.

For more information about the restoration project, you can read our earlier article.

The following is a press release from Congressman Bob Turner:

Congressman Bob Turner (NY-09) applauded the signing of a partnership-agreement between the Army Corps of Engineers and the New York City Parks Department today to begin a Storm Risk Reduction project at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn, NY.

“Given Plumb Beach’s extremely close proximity to the Belt Parkway, there is a critical infrastructure concern. This agreement will provide much needed resources to ensure the stability and safety of a major highway,” Congressman Turner said.

Now that the agreement has been approved by the Army Corps, it now moves to the City Parks Department for approval. The project would include two phases. The first phase of the project, which has been in the planning phase for several years, calls for sand replenishment from the dredging of Ambrose Channel. The second phase will entail stone placement and jetties to protect the area from storms.

“Many advocates and officials have worked to get movement on this project for quite some time. Since taking office in September I have been able to work with Col. John R. Boule, District Commander of the New York District Army Corps of Engineers, and the City of New York to help push the project forward,” Turner said. “I will continue to work with federal and local officials to complete this important project.”

Turner has met with the Army Corp of Engineers multiple times, both in Washington, D.C. and his district office in New York. The meetings included at length discussions about the Plumb Beach project. The Congressman has been a staunch advocate for this project and the importance of infrastructure improvement throughout his district.

“After visiting Plumb Beach and surveying the damage first hand less than two years ago, I’m very pleased we’re moving forward with construction of this critical coastal storm risk reduction project,” said Col. John R. Boulé, Commander, New York District. “This project is an excellent example of partnership between the federal government and New York City Parks. When complete it will reduce the vulnerability of the Belt Parkway to erosion and weather events for years to come.”

Kathleen Flynn, President of the Sheepshead Bay-Plumb Beach Civic Association stated, “This is great news for all of Brooklyn, but especially for Sheepshead Bay-Plumb Beach. We are pleased that the federal and city governments realize the importance of this project and are working with one another to move forward.”

After more than a decade of battling government bureaucracy, members of the Sheepshead Bay / Plumb Beach Civic Association were treated to some welcome news at their meeting last night: Councilman Lew Fidler announced that an agreement had been reached to restore Plumb Beach, with long-term measures to be implemented against future erosion.

However, the project won’t get as early a start as some had hoped, as the area will be overrun by mating marine life.

Find out the details, and how nature may slow down the project.

Map from Google Maps

A plan to add 375,000 cubic yards of sand to a Jamaica Bay marshland habitat is great news for wildlife, but a tougher commute for drivers going to and from the Rockaway peninsula.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is executing a $7 million initiative to restore 50-acres of Yellow Bar Hassock Island, one of several marsh islands just a few yards west of the Brooklyn-Queens border. But in order to get sand dredged from the Ambrose Channel in the New York – New Jersey Harbor into Jamaica Bay, authorities are scheduling periodic closures of the Gil Hodges – Marine Parkway Bridge.

According to a report in the Queens Tribune, the closures will begin on January 26, and last through the month of February, as barges and equipment make their way under into Jamaica Bay. Motorists are advised to use the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge as an alternate.

The restoration of the salt marshes and coastal wetlands in Jamaica Bay are a “critical component” of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan for the Hudson Raritan Estuary, according to a press release from the Army Corps of Engineers. Approximately 1,400 of tidal salt marsh has vanished from the marsh islands since 1924 – and, in recent years, the rate of erosion has been more rapid. The marsh islands are not only a habitat and migrating grounds for wildlife, but help protect the coastal areas to the north against flooding and erosion.

Source: Turner's office

Congressman Bob Turner met with the Army Corps of Engineers on Friday to discusses 9th District projects with District Commander Col. John Boule. Among the items discussed was the Plumb Beach restoration project. No new developments have been announced, but it was a necessary meeting to bring the newly-elected congressman up to speed. Below is a press release from Turner’s office:

Last Friday, Congressman Bob Turner (NY-09) met with Col. John R. Boule, District Commander of the New York District Army Corps of Engineers, to discuss the Army Corps of Engineers’ projects in the 9th Congressional District. Projects discussed included ecosystem restoration in Jamaica Bay, the Jamaica Bay Federal Channel (at Rockaway Inlet) Navigation project, the Storm Risk Reduction Project at Plumb Beach, and a Reformulation Study on the Rockaway Peninsula.

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Director of the Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society and Jamaica Bay Guardian Don Riepe said toxin levels in Jamaica Bay's waters needs further study. (Source: Laura Vladimirova)

A proposal to allow deicing chemicals and other toxins from John F. Kennedy International Airport to flow freely into Jamaica Bay has sparked a heated debate between city and state agencies and local stakeholders around New York City’s most important federal parkland.

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Plumb Beach yesterday afternoon, before additional sandbags were placed.

We’ve just received word that the city has placed additional sandbags on Plumb Beach in an effort to prevent further erosion and flooding on the Belt Parkway

Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson informed Councilman Lew Fidler late today that the city placed extra sandbags along the eroded section of Plumb Beach, where a storm two years ago devoured all but a few feet of rubble between the waters and the Belt Parkway.

It appeared Plumb Beach and the Belt Parkway would be left abandoned in the face of Hurricane Irene just two days ago, when Sheepshead Bites reported that the city was doing nothing to secure against the storm surges. Councilman Fidler acted on Sheepshead Bites’ tip, prodding the city to reconsider and place additional emphasis on preserving Southern Brooklyn’s most important roadway.

Plumb Beach as of this morning. (Photo by Erica Sherman)

It was less than two years ago that another hurricane beginning with the letter “I” battered Plumb Beach, obliterating a section of it and making vulnerable an exposed strip of the Belt Parkway to future flooding. Now it appears the city has failed to learn its lesson, and no preparations have been made in advance of Hurricane Irene.

With Hurricane Irene expected to make landfall on Sunday, no additional sandbags have been added to the Plumb Beach shoreline – posing a unique danger to residents because of existing erosion and its proximity to the Belt Parkway. In its current condition, one relatively strong storm could be successful in washing away a major transportation artery.  As the photo above shows, the existing sandbags have slipped backward towards the waters, weakening its role as a potential barrier between the waters and the highway.

Meanwhile, the various agencies that oversee the strip of land – a hodgepodge of federal, state and city jurisdictions – are pointing fingers at each other.

Keep reading about the dangers Plumb Beach faces from the hurricane, and how the city is abandoning it.

Just a reminder that the Sheepshead Bay-Plumb Beach Civic Association’s meeting is tonight May 3, 7:30 p.m., inside the Palm Beach Home for Adults, 2900 Bragg Street just off of Emmons Avenue.

Members of the Army Corps of Engineers will be on hand to discuss the Plumb Beach Restoration Project and Belt Parkway erosion, and local elected and law enforcement officials will also be available to discuss issues of interest to the community, and to hear your concerns, comments and issues. Volunteers are also needed to assist with planning the group’s annual Memorial Day Parade, so come on down and give a hand.

Refreshments will be served and parking is also available. For more information, call (718) 891-6498.

A full agenda is on tap for the Sheepshead Bay-Plumb Beach Civic Association’s next meeting, May 3, 7:30 p.m. at its new location, inside the Palm Beach Home for Adults, 2900 Bragg Street just off of Emmons Avenue.

Members of the Army Corps of Engineers will be on hand to discuss the Plumb Beach Restoration Project and Belt Parkway erosion, and local elected and law enforcement officials will also be available to discuss issues of interest to the community, and to hear your concerns, comments and issues.

Additionally, volunteers are needed to assist with planning the group’s annual Memorial Day Parade, so come on down and give a hand.

Refreshments will be served and parking is also available.

Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month unless otherwise noted. If you can’t attend, feel free to voice your concerns and comments via email to sbpbcivicassociation@hotmail.com.

For more, call (718) 891-6498.