Board chairman: Next superstorm could close Belt Parkway for YEARS
As elected officials stepped up their efforts to get the federal government to authorize emergency repairs of a 200-foot-long section of the Shore Parkway seawall in Bath Beach destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, one community official warned that unless the seawall is totally rebuilt, the next super-storm could leave long-term damage and shut down the nearby Belt Parkway.
Bill Guarinello, chairman of Community Board 11 (Bath Beach-Bensonhurst) told board members at a Dec. 12 meeting that the seawall that protects the land from New York Harbor is so decimated “we have no defense.”
The seawall and a bike-pedestrian path adjacent to it are located next to the Belt Parkway, which was flooded during the hurricane, Guarinello said. “We had five feet of water on the Belt Parkway. I’ve lived in this community all my life. I’ve never seen that type of flooding. I worry about the next storm. One of these days, it’s going to be so bad, that roadway could be closed for years,” he said.