Building Resilience Below Ground: Excavation Advances on BMCR’s Interceptor Gate Chamber

Crews are constructing a critical component of the Brooklyn Bridge–Montgomery Coastal Resilience Project that will help manage stormwater, protect essential infrastructure, and strengthen the city’s defenses against future coastal flooding and sea level rise.

Beneath the streets of Lower Manhattan, excavation is underway for the Interceptor Gate Chamber, a key element of the Brooklyn Bridge–Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR) Project’s resiliency infrastructure designed to control and manage stormwater and wastewater flows during extreme weather events.

As part of a larger network of interceptor gates and gate buildings, the chamber will help regulate large volumes of water during peak storm conditions. These improvements, combined with floodwalls, deployable flood gates, flip-up barriers, sewer and water main upgrades, and waterfront enhancements, will help strengthen flood resilience—protecting Lower Manhattan's infrastructure and communities against future coastal flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise.

About Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience (BMCR):

The BMCR project extends .82 miles along the East River waterfront from the Brooklyn Bridge to the south, and Montgomery Street to the north. BMCR includes both flood protection and utility improvements for the neighborhood. Utility improvements and upgrades will take place along South Street, under the Brooklyn Bridge, on a portion of Montgomery Street, and along the East River Greenway and esplanade. The flood protection components and amenities will be constructed within the esplanade area.

The project includes a combination of floodwalls and deployable flip-up barriers that will protect the neighborhood from storm surges and rainfall at the 100-year level in the 2050s. Beyond flood protection, the Project encompasses esplanade reconstruction, extensive utility and CSO upgrades, including a new water distribution system, new electrical distribution system, new gas distribution system and improved streetscapes.