Although there is still a final hurdle to clear, involving the purchase of land, there’s growing optimism that one of New York City’s most ambitious green infrastructure efforts is poised for take-off. The project? Daylighting the long-buried Tibbetts Brook in the Bronx, in an effort to reduce the City’s flooding problems.
Daylighting Tibbetts Brook: $130 Million
To allow for the development of marshland back in 1912, Tibbetts Brook was diverted, buried, and left to run into sewer pipes below the Bronx. The brook still runs, pumping freshwater into the outdated sewage system, and contributing to overflows. Notably, for example, when Hurricane Ida hit this fall, Tibbetts Brook had nowhere to flow—so it ended up flooding onto the Major Deegan Expressway, where dozens of vehicles became trapped. Now, as The New York Times reports:
The city plans to unearth the brook — an engineering feat known as “daylighting” — at a cost of more than $130 million, because burying it in the sewer system has worsened the city’s flooding problems as a warming planet experiences more frequent and intense storms…The plan to daylight Tibbetts Brook would be one of the city’s most ambitious green infrastructure projects. The brook would be rerouted above ground for one mile — including along a former railroad line that would be turned into a new greenway — before being sent back underground for a half mile in a new dedicated pipe to the Harlem River…Taking the brook out of the sewer system would reduce combined sewer overflows in the Harlem River by 25 percent, or by 220 million gallons annually, according to the city…The project would also include making improvements to the pond in Van Cortlandt Park and building new walking and biking trails in an underused park section that would connect to the new greenway on the old railroad line.
In anticipation of waves of new contracts anticipated to flow from public commitments to combat outdated infrastructure and climate change, construction companies are preparing ahead by qualifying for The Partnership Account® from Colonial Surety. In addition to a surety line of credit—in writing, The Partnership Account® gives qualified construction companies an array of complimentary fintech services, including:
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Investing In Water Infrastructure
Across the country, and around the world, cities are figuring out how restoring buried waterways can contribute to the challenges of failing infrastructure and climate change. Experts, such as Jenny Hoffner of American Rivers explain: restored waterways serve as a kind of “natural infrastructure” in cities…bringing benefits such as reducing sewer overflows, saving energy and money at wastewater plants that unnecessarily treat clean water, creating more green space and improving quality of life in neighborhoods. With so many water projects in need of attention around the country, the federal infrastructure investment in clean drinking water and restoration of heavily polluted areas, like the Great Lakes region, is critical. As the Pacific Institute sums up: the bill includes investments in some nature-based solutions, including ecosystem restoration, as well as water efficiency, water reuse, flood and drought programs, dam safety, and rural communities. In this way, we see a shift away from the 20th-century primary focus on building major dams and water diversions toward a more comprehensive and integrated approach.
Moving With The Current?
Bid bonds, performance bonds and payment bonds have long served to advance and safeguard public building projects across the country. That doesn’t mean obtaining bonds has to be a slog through muddy waters though: Colonial Surety’s here to get you flowing with the current. We underwrite construction companies based on the power of their financial statements, giving qualified builders power of attorney to issue their own bid bonds, and more. Let’s think big—and act fast—together. Complete the pre-qualification for your written surety-line of credit and The Partnership Account® services today—and receive, for free, Dun & Bradstreet scores. Pre-Qualify and Get Free Scores Here.
Founded in 1930, Colonial Surety Company is a leading direct seller and writer of surety bonds and insurance products across the USA. Colonial is rated “A Excellent” by A.M. Best Company and U.S. Treasury listed.