Engineering Inc - September/October 2017 - 14

North America at Arcadis. While the
first step for these companies-as well
as the Coney Island Yard Complex-
was to recover from the flooding and
get systems back on line, there was
also a need to upgrade infrastructure
and systems to prevent future damage
and shutdowns.
In fact, Sandy exposed problems
up
and down the coast. In the
"The impact
North Atlantic region, U.S. Army
of these
Corps of Engineers Flood Control
superstorms is
and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE)
enormous, but
program has restored 25 previthe investments ously constructed projects valued at
roughly $656 million, following the
we make in
storm. Most of these initiatives were
infrastructure
completed by the end of 2014.
and
"These restored projects have
improvements
resolved many problems and made
can greatly
things safer by lowering risks
from future storms," says Forcina.
mitigate the
Meanwhile, in the South Atlantic
economic
region-which includes Florida,
impact."
Georgia and North Carolina-the
MILO RIVERSO | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has
STV GROUP completed 21 projects at a total
cost of about $110 million. These
include repairing and improving harbors and shipping channels,
restoring beaches and building new and better coastal barriers.
Of course, post-disaster recovery projects are fundamentally different than pre-disaster planning. The politics, economics and engineering vary greatly. After Sandy, there was also a recognition that
major improvements in infrastructure had to take place to minimize
future risk and reduce the cost of emergency response following a
storm. It was necessary to look at assets in a more holistic way. "We
can't prevent something bad from happening again," Westerhof says.
14

ENGINEERING INC.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017

"The goal is to build infrastructure that generates positive effects
and helps protect people and property to the maximum extent
possible."
WINDS OF CHANGE

Unfortunately, large public works projects are often viewed as
expenses rather than investments. What's more, political leaders
and the public typically consider them a priority only after a major
natural disaster. But this thinking presents a couple of problems.
First, building more resilient infrastructure is less expensive in the
long run than attempting to deal with the aftermath of a natural
disaster. Second, a well-functioning infrastructure is critical for
supporting the economy and minimizing environmental impacts.
"If businesses can't operate efficiently and people can't get to work
and do the things they need to do, the costs are enormous," says
Riverso.
In fact, as climate change plays out and sea levels rise, designing and building resilient infrastructure is more important than

Arcadis provided
studies and detailed
design for perimeter
flood protection as well
as solidifying critical
equipment and facilities
at Nassau County's Bay
Park Sewage Treatment
Plant, New York.

ARCADIS

NJDEP

A rendering of Cove Park in
Hoboken, N.J., with a coastal
flood barrier integrated into
the future park design to
provide the community with
both recreational and flood
risk reduction benefits.
Dewberry led a study
to provide a technically
feasible and affordable
solution to mitigate flooding
that this waterfront
community would support.

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