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Combatting Storm Surge Flooding in Lower Manhattan and its Effects on the NYC Subway
Kayde Cox, Emily Jennings, Daniel Schwartz, and Sylvia Zaki, Queens College
What is the problem?
 Storm surge flooding events in lower Manhattan that
normally occur once every hundred years are expected to
occur every three to 20 years (Lin et al., 2012)
 This increase in flooding is exacerbated by climate change
 East River subway tunnels below Canal Street are vulnerable
to flooding
 Without prior preparation, complete flooding of these tunnels
could take 29 days to recover from (Jacob et al., 2011)
 This would cost New York City approximately $23 million per
day that the subway system is shut down
GOAL: East River subway tunnels must be completely
protected from flooding in the event of a category two hurricane
or lower by the year 2080.
What can we do?
2. Elevated subway grates
 Diverts water from entering directly into subway
grates
 Diverts rubbish from falling through into the subway
tunnels
 Can serve as seats or bicycle racks to be more
aesthetically pleasing (Figure 2)
 Are a short term solution because they will not stop
flooding if a 100-year storm event were to happen
 Increase subway grates 6-18 inches above the
sidewalk
 Seal up subway grates that are not necessary to stop
rain from entering at all
Pros
•
•
•
•
Effective January 2013,
starting in Battery Park,
begin to replace
necessary subway grates
with elevated grates. Seal
up grates that prove to be
unnecessary. Repeat this
process moving uptown
until we reach Canal
Street.
Cons
Cheap
•
Effective
Stylish
Will not take long
to implement
Provides seats
and bicycle racks
•
What’s the plan?
May not be
effective in the
event of a 100
year storm
occurring
Have researchers evaluate
lower Manhattan from
2014-2017 and the
changes that must be
made to accommodate
elevated subway
entrances.
1. Plug the drain!
 With specially engineered inflatable plugs that will
fill a tunnel
 Will act as a plug would in a sink, not letting
water get through, preventing flooding due to
storm surge
 Pressurized in 30-minutes
 Need minimal adjustments in order to fit each
tunnel
 Cost: About $400,000 per plug
 Figure 1 breaks down the infrastructure
 Needs further development
By January 2016,
establish a training
program to teach MTA
employees to
effectively use the
inflatable plugs.
What have we decided?
Conduct a survey in June
2014 of every lower
Manhattan train station’s
proximity to the shore to
determine order of
implementation. Stations
that are most susceptible
to flooding will be the first
stations to be elevated.
Aim to have research
pertaining to the plugs
completed by June
2015, then start to
equip subway tunnels
with the plugs by 2016,
placing subway stations
located closest to the
water at a higher
priority.
 Strategies to safeguard subway tunnels will focus on:
 Installing subway plugs prior to periods of predicted
heavy storm surge
 Cost-efficient: $400,000/plug
 Simple to implement: 30-minute pressurization time
and fits to contour of tunnel
 Durable: Can withstand 500,000 pounds of force
 Elevating subway grates 6-18 inches above the sidewalk
 Unnecessary grates can be sealed
 Elevated grates already in use in Hillside Avenue
zone
 216 raised, 353 sealed—cost valued at several
million
 Cost efficient, aesthetically pleasing
 Diverts moderate floodwater and rubbish from
tunnels
 Further research needs to be conducted about the feasibility of
integrating elevated subway station entrances into lower
Manhattan
 Effective long-term strategy for waterproofing stations
 Already in use in Taipei and Bangkok (Figure 3)
 Will allow uninterrupted subway service throughout
category 2 hurricanes and less intense storms
Figure 2: Created by Rogers Marvel Architects, these elevated subway grates were
designed to divert rubbish and storm surge flooding from entering subway tunnels
through street level grates. The grates stand 6-18 inches high (depending on flood risk)
and can be found in Astoria and Hillside Queens. 10
3. Elevated subway entrances
Pros
•
•
Cheap
Effective
Cons
•
•
Is not fully
developed yet
May need to be
altered for each
tunnel
 Increase susceptible subway station entrances’ lowest critical elevation to
20 ft. through a combination of structural elevation and the use of flood
gates.
 Further investigation is needed to determine cost, station placement
and/or integration with neighboring structures, and to figure out
accessibility issues.
 Implementation by necessity: More susceptible stations are elevated first.
 A survey of every station’s LCE and proximity to the shore is needed to
determine order of implementation
Pros
•
•
Flood-proofs
station entrances
Allows for subway
functionality, if
floodwaters are
shallow enough
Cons
•
•
•
•
Completely protect the 2
and 3 train subway tunnels
from flooding by 2062
Completely protect the R
train subway tunnel from
flooding by 2045
Space limitations
Integration issues
Accessibility issues
Price & time needed
for construction:
unknown
Completely protect the A
and C train subway tunnels
from flooding by 2080
Figure 4: MTA map of the flooded subway tunnels during Hurricane Sandy
References
Figure 1: Diagram of the Department of Homeland Security’s
development of the plug to stop flooding in subway tunnels. 8
Ahlers, Mike M. “Huge Plugs Could Have Spared Subways from Flooding, Developers Say – CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
Department of Homeland Security. Plugging Up a Subway Tunnel. Digital image. Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
Duap, David W. “New Subway Grates Add Aesthetics to Flood Protection.” The New York Times. N.p., 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.
Fernquest, John. “Can It Flood in the Subway?” Bangkok Post: Learning. Bangkok Post, 28 Oct. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
Jacob, Klaus H., et al. Risk Increase to Infrastructure Due to Sea Level Rise. Rep. Metropolitan East Coast Regional Assessment. CIESIN Columbia University, 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Jacob, Klaus, et al. “Transportation.” Responding To Climate Change In New York State: The CLIMAID Integrated Assessment For Effective Climate Change Adaptation In New York
State: Final Report. Vol. 1244. Oxford: Blackwell Science Publ, 2011. 299-362. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Web of Science. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.
7) Lin, Ning, et al.“Physically Based Assessment of Hurricane Surge Threat Under Climate Change.” Nature Climate Change 2.6 (2012): 462-67. Web of Science. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.
8) Metropolitan Transit Authority. Hurricane Sandy Recovery Service As of November 1. Digital image. Mta.info/maps. Metropolitan Transit Authority, 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
9) Teo, Audrey, and Jenny Woo. Integration of MRT Entrance with Private Development. Rep. Land Transport Authority, 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.
10) Wilson, Robert. Subway Grates–Bicycle Rack. Digital image. Streets Blog, 1 Oct. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
11) Wongrat, Natthawat. Flooding in Thailand 2011. Digital image. Net Photography., 10 Nov. 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
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Figure 3: An elevated MRT station in Bangkok, Thailand defends the subway system
from floodwaters during the 2011 monsoon season. Subway stations are elevated 1.20
meters above street level and are equipped with flood barriers, adding another 1.50
meters of protection. 11
Completely protect the 4
and 5 train subway tunnels
from flooding by 2028
8