The City of New York’s Dryline project has received USD 176 million in funding as part of the USD 1 billion National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC) run by the US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The funding was awarded for a 9km (5.5mi) section of the flood-protection project that will start construction in 2017. The Dryline extends from Montgomery Street at the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project south around the Battery and extending up to include Battery Park City.

The massive East River Storm Barrier will also incorporate some of the best parks in the City of New York. The section of the project will cost a total of USD 475 million to complete, of which the City of New York has already pledged USD 100 million.

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group and One Architecture have been selected as part of the design team for the next section. Specific measures have not yet been determined, but are likely to include sea walls and temporary flood walls that could be deployed before a storm, as well as grass berms that double as recreational areas.

BIG is currently working on a 4km (2.5mi) section of the Global Awards Bronze 2015 winning project in the Lower East Side, which had already received USD 335 million from HUD. Pre-design has been completed for the shoreline spanning from East 23rd Street to Montgomery Street. The preparation of construction documentation commences shortly and construction is set to start in 2017.

The Dryline urban flood protection infrastructure around Lower Manhattan will guard against future storms like Hurricane Sandy, which was the worst natural disaster in the history of the city and cost 44 lives and USD 19 billion in damages and lost economic activity.

“Hurricane Sandy was a turning point in our efforts to adapt to climate change and invest in resilience”, explains Daniel Zarrilli, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery & Resiliency.