Beyond the storm: restoring Battery Weed Seawall

NPS rebuilds Battery Weed seawall at the entrance to New York Harbor

The National Park Service in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration completed the repairs to the Battery Weed seawall in May of 2014.  The seawall around Battery Weed was constructed on Staten Island before 1840 as part of the fortifications to the entrance to the New York Harbor.  The structure is located right next to the Verrazano Bridge that crosses the entrance to the harbor.  Super storm Sandy completed inundated the seawall and overtopped it by approximately 10 feet during the storm, dislodging the cut stones and washing out material behind the wall.  The seawall is approximately 660 feet long and almost every part of it had to have stones reset.  Many stones fell into the ocean and were retrieved with excavators and equipment placed so that they did not have to disturb anything below the mean water line.  The stones were made more resilient by utilizing a marine tape to increase the adherence of one stone to another.   The tape flattens out under the weight of the stone and cannot be seen after the stones are placed.  This method allowed for additional strength without compromising the cultural integrity or look of the stones.  The below grade portion of the shore side of the seawall was strengthened by buttressing with stones and concrete and then covered with native material.  The result of the project is a seawall that is functional and stronger while not altering its historic appearance.