Alongside a bevy of New York City officials and climate change advocates, Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday broke ground on the Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience project, which will see the construction of flood walls and deployable flip-up barriers meant to protect the Two Bridges neighborhood of Manhattan from future flood surges.

The project, which aims to keep the waterfront accessible and visible, is one of the four climate resiliency projects that comprise the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resilience Project, a signature resiliency project former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration put into place in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

“Ten years ago, flooded subways, a weeklong blackout downtown, billions in property damage, and 44 of our neighbors killed tragically showed what climate change can do to our city,” Adams said in a statement. “Sandy wasn’t just a storm; it was a warning. Another storm could hit our city at any time and that is why our administration is doing everything we can to prepare and protect New Yorkers.”

The city’s Department of Design and Construction estimates construction on the $522 million project will be completed in 2026, Commissioner Thomas Foley said Wednesday.

In a press release, Adams said the project would lessen the risk of flooding for more than 44,000 New Yorkers, many of whom reside in affordable apartments.

Once completed, 72 hours before a potential storm hits, an emergency response task force will be charged with deciding whether or not the city should initiate its flood gates, the vast majority of which will be activated by pushing a button, city officials said. 

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Adams called on the federal government to increase funding to its coastal infrastructure program, saying the boost would enable the city to complete a host of critical resiliency projects.

The Adams administration on Wednesday also announced the creation of a new initiative — Climate Strong Communities — which aims to engage with communities and neighborhoods that have not benefitted from existing or planned Sandy recovery projects.