City Life Org – City Awarded Federal Grants for Key Infrastructure Projects

Federal Grant, Along With Initial $95 Million Investment, Will Help Transform Brooklyn Marine Terminal Into Modern 21st Century Maritime Port, Vibrant Mixed-Use Community Hub

Inwood Greenway Will Add 1.35 Miles of Grade-Separated Bikeway and Improvements South of 10th Avenue, Closing Major Gap in Manhattan Waterfront Greenway Network

Administration’s Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force Has Secured Total of $2.37 Billion in Funding, Including Nearly $1.3 Billion in Competitive Grants

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today kicked off Climate Week by announcing his administration has won another $260 million in grants from the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, continuing the Adams administration’s unprecedented success in securing federal infrastructure funding. The grants—issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation—will support key infrastructure projects in New York City, including transforming the Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern, 21st-century maritime port and vibrant mixed-use community hub, as well as constructing a segment of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway along 10th Avenue in Inwood. The administration’s Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force—chaired by Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi—has now secured a total of $2.37 billion in funding, including nearly $1.3 billion in competitive grants.

Recent federal legislation, including the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, have made unprecedented amounts of federal funding available for key projects across the country. Recognizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Mayor Adams formed the Federal Infrastructure Funding Task Force. Under Deputy Mayor Joshi’s guidance, that task force evaluates the competitive grant opportunities available, with a focus on new opportunities made possible through both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, and works to break down silos and foster creativity across city agencies. The city has aligned its priorities for high-quality, sustainable, and equitable infrastructure with aggressive and creative grant applications from a wide range of infrastructure agencies. These two announcements represent the single largest day of competitive grant awards in New York City history.

Brooklyn Marine Terminal

The $164 million federal grant for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal comes after Mayor Adams, along with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, NYCEDC, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced an historic agreement that will enable the city to transform the 122-acre Brooklyn Marine Terminal into a modern, 21st-century maritime port and mixed-use community. This federal grant builds on an initial $95 million investment from New York City and New York state that would stabilize and repair Piers 7, 8, and 10; and fund planning for the site’s future, new modern, electrified container crane for operations at the terminal, as well as a future cold storage facility on-site. This new funding will help rehabilitate and extend the life of Pier 10—home of the Red Hook Container Terminal—demolish the structurally-deficient Piers 9A and 9B and replace them with a new marginal Pier 9 that is better able to handle modern ships; and improve traffic and circulation for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. In the next 10 years, the project is expected to generate $9 billion of economic value while potentially creating thousands of jobs.

Last week, NYCEDC announced the full membership of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Task Force. The task force is chaired by U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, and co-chaired by New York state Senator Andrew Gounardes and New York City Councilmember Alexa Aviles. It is comprised of a wide range of experts, including federal, state, and local elected officials; the local community board; local resident organizations; maritime and industrial stakeholders; unions; planning and environmental justice organizations; and representatives of the local business community. Through this ongoing process, the task force aims to build a shared vision across stakeholders, community members, and elected officials. The task force is charged with approving the illustrative vision plan, which will include reinvestment and development for a modernized maritime port and a vibrant mixed-use community, for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in early 2025.

NYCEDC kicked off a series of community engagement events in August, starting with a public information webinar on August 12th, and will hold the public survey is now available online. Additionally, NYCEDC has selected renowned consulting firm Buro Happold to spearhead the master plan. WXY is leading the engagement process.

Today’s announcement builds on the Adams administration’s broader strategy to develop the “Harbor of the Future”—a multifaceted initiative announced by Mayor Adams in his State of the City this year to reimagine New York City’s waterfront to fuel 21st-century growth and innovation. The Harbor of the Future includes emerging innovation centers at the Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the “Climate Innovation Hub” at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, Governors Island, the Science Park and Research Campus in Kips Bayin Manhattan, and the North Shore of Staten Island.

Inwood Greenway

The $96 million federal grant for a greenway along 10th Avenue in Inwood, Manhattan will help the city fill one of the last major gaps in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway to create a continuous cycling route around the island. The project will also address traffic safety equity in Inwood, delivering a host of safety upgrades in an underserved area to make the neighborhood’s streets safer for all. Those upgrades include a new plaza, sidewalk extensions, pedestrian islands, bus boarding extensions, raised crosswalks, and improved lighting under the elevated subway line.

The new greenway segment will stretch 1.35 miles along 10th Avenue, from West 201st Street to West 218th Street, with new, direct connections to Inwood Hill Park at West 218th Street and the Bronx via the Broadway and University Heights bridges. The project will complement the city’s planning for a historic greenway expansion across the five boroughs, including the Harlem River Greenway in the Bronx, which is currently in the planning stage. The project also helps advance the administration’s vision to “close the loop” for cyclists and pedestrians around the island of Manhattan.

The construction of the greenway will come with a wide variety of proven safety upgrades along the 10th Avenue corridor, which ranks in the top 10 percent of Manhattan’s most dangerous streets. It will also include various pedestrian and cyclist improvements along Harlem River Drive, south of 10th Avenue. Improvements will focus on reducing the time it takes pedestrians to cross the street, slowing turning vehicles, and improving boarding for bus riders along the corridor. The city will also install a full pedestrian plaza on Post Avenue between 10th Avenue and West 207th Street, adding vital public space to Inwood. Department of Design and Construction will build the project, which will enter the preliminary design phase in spring 2025, followed by additional public engagement.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity, build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city’s future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.