City begins $51 mil fix to prevent flooding in Southeast Queens
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Rosedale is getting $51 million worth of infrastructure fixes to help mitigate constant flooding in the Southeast Queens community. Photo via New York City Department of Design and Construction
By Ryan Schwach
The city recently began a large-scale, $51.8 million infrastructure project in Rosedale that is expected to help improve the neighborhood’s penchant for flooding, an issue that has long plagued residents throughout Southeast Queens.
Construction began last week on the project to replace water mains that are more than 80-years-old, and that will add traffic safety improvements to help the area’s flooding and safety issues.
The $51.8 million infrastructure project is a joint venture between three city agencies; the Department of Design and Conistron, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection.
“New York City is putting more money into improving the sewer and water infrastructure of Southeast Queens than any other neighborhood in the city," said DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala. "As climate change brings more extreme rainfall, this $51 million investment will ensure better stormwater drainage, as well as tap water distribution, in Rosedale and improve the lives of property and business owners in this area for decades to come. I'd like to thank DDC and DOT for their partnership on this major project."
Flooding has long been a major concern for Southeast Queens residents in neighborhoods like Rosedale, Jamaica, Laurelton and the Rockaways, which are all at a lower elevation and are prone to flooding during the most minor of rain storms.
Last September, when stormwater inundated sections of New York City, the neighborhoods encountered several flooding incidents, an issue that gets increasingly more common as severe storms increase in frequency and veracity.
In Rosedale, the project will expand the storm sewer system, addressing years of severe flooding episodes in the area. Nearly 1.5 miles of local storm sewers will be upgraded or newly installed, increasing the drainage network. The construction of 92 catch basins will help to drain precipitation from the roadways while 13 underground storm chambers will further boost capacity. More than half a mile of sanitary sewers will also be upgraded or newly installed.
Many locals in the community and other flood prone areas of Queens have cited catch basins – which drain water into the sewer system – as a major part of flooding concerns.
Katherine Brezler, the special advisor for strategic initiatives at Borough President Donovan Richards office, told the Eagle in January that the city’s sewer system was built to withstand around one and a half to one and three quarter inches of rainwater per hour – but recent storms have brought far more than that.
“The borough president’s position and our position is that the standard that sewers are built to is not meeting the moment of the next 100 years, and the standard should be changed to five inches,” Brezler said.
Brezler said that much of the issue is that the sewer systems and catch basins were built and designed to withstand a once-in-a-100-year storm, which no longer comes just every 100 years.
Specific areas, like 259th Street and 147th Avenue in the neighborhood, which have seen bad flooding as recently as July, will get additional catch basins and upgraded water mains and sewers.
During construction, almost two miles of water mains will be upgraded from six-to eight-inch cast iron pipes to stronger eight-to 12-inch ductile iron pipes.
Officials say the newer pipes are more resilient and less prone to breakage than the cast iron pipes typically used decades ago.
Additionally, 14 new fire hydrants will be added and 21 will be upgraded to ensure firefighters have ready access to the city’s water supply during emergencies.
The project also aims to address road safety and outdated infrastructure that has been damaged by constant flooding.
The city will reconstruct 36 blocks with roadways, will replace over 4.5 miles of damaged curbs and over 4.5 acres of sidewalks, and will construct 130 ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps.
The project is part of a $2.64 billion investment made by the city to build a comprehensive drainage system, improve street conditions and alleviate flooding in neighborhoods throughout Southeast Queens. The program, the largest of its kind, consists of 46 projects overall, including 24 that are already completed.
Local officials are happy to see some work being done in the area to help mitigate a constant and increasingly dangerous issue.
“Southeast Queens has been incredibly flood prone for generations, all while the city has historically disinvested in these communities – but no more,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said. “We are finally reversing that trend and making sure communities like Rosedale have the upgraded infrastructure it needs to prevent disruptive and damaging floods. As climate change continues to creep in, investments like these have never been more important.”
Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers, who is the chair of the council’s Transportation and Infrastructure committee, called flood protection “essential to the health and safety of the Rosedale community.”
“This investment will help modernize our infrastructure and ensure Rosedale is prepared to withstand the city’s severe weather events for years to come,” she said.
This project in Rosedale is expected to be completed in the winter of 2026.
