After the Storm: The BIG U brings protection and recreation to New York's East Side
East Side Coastal Resiliency Project, NY
Project at a glance
- Location: New York City, New York
- Project type: Infrastructure
- Completion: Project Area 1 open as of May 2026, Project Area 2 ongoing
- Amrize solution: Cement, slag, and MAXtect ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC)
- Key partners: NYC Department of Design and Construction, IPC Resiliency Project, HNTB, Casa Materials, and SRM
In brief
When Superstorm Sandy hit in October 2012, floodwater poured across Manhattan’s East Side, knocking out power to hospitals and driving thousands of residents from their homes overnight. The storm exposed just how vulnerable this stretch of the city’s waterfront had become — and how much was at stake if nothing changed.
Today, the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), part of the larger Big U initiative, is transforming 2.4 miles of waterfront into a safer, more connected space for the communities around it. Designed to withstand a 100-year storm, the project combines flood protection with new parks, public spaces and recreational amenities, benefiting more than 110,000 residents.
The ambition: A floodwall the neighborhood could actually use
Instead of placing a wall between the community and the waterfront, the project was designed to elevate the park by 8 to 9 feet to serve as the flood protection system itself.
The ESCR was never intended to be just a floodwall. While protecting Lower Manhattan from future coastal flooding was the driving force behind the project, community members also made it clear they wanted to preserve and improve the waterfront they use every day.
That meant treating it as a single system rather than stacking infrastructure and park space on top of each other. The design required flood defenses to integrate seamlessly into the landscape, creating an inviting public space for recreation and community gatherings during daily life while still providing robust protection against extreme storm surges.
The finished stretch includes new park buildings, sports fields and courts, play areas, waterfront paths and a nature exploration area, roughly 50 acres in total, built atop the raised storm-resistant elevation.
The solution: Ultra-high-performance concrete to weather the storm
Many of the project’s features are designed for a 100-year service life. However, as climate conditions change, the project incorporates an adaptive design that allows the system to respond to future needs.
Amrize’s MAXtect ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) was selected for one of the pedestrian bridges. The material offers low permeability and resistance to freeze-thaw cycling and salt exposure, promising to hold up for decades along an active, heavily used waterfront with minimal repairs or replacement.
It's also built to meet the site's structural demands. MAXtect combines high compressive, tensile, and flexural strength with strong abrasion resistance, and it can be cast into components off-site or poured directly at the job site, giving flexibility for how the structure comes together.
Beyond MAXtect, Amrize supplied 50,000 short tons of cement and 6,000 short tons of slag for the project. These tailored mixes provided the structural strength needed for flood protection walls, while also supporting the construction of parks, pathways and other public spaces throughout the area.
The results: A shoreline that protects and welcomes
Even before Project Area 1 reaches its planned late 2027 completion, residents are already enjoying newly opened sections of the waterfront park.
Even before Project Area 1 reaches its planned late 2027 completion, residents are already enjoying newly opened sections of the waterfront park.
The ESCR earned the "Envision Gold Award" for sustainability from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) in August 2022, a globally recognized framework that evaluates infrastructure projects for their performance across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The ESCR was recognized for its performance across Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, Climate, and Resilience. It has also received a 2026 AIANY + ASLA-NY Transportation + Infrastructure Design Excellence Award, recognizing exceptional transportation and infrastructure design by architects, landscape architects, and planners across the United States.
As of May 2026, the project’s first phase is open, bringing new parks and flood protection to residential communities. Work on Project Area 2, between E. 15th and E. 25th Streets, is underway and will add three more neighborhood parks along with infrastructure improvements.
More than a decade after Sandy, the East Side is no longer waiting for the next storm. It’s built for one, and it’s already open for the people who live in and visit the community.
