Flood Prevention Grates
In an attempt to continue the ugli-fication of NYC, about three weeks ago, the MTA began installing raised sidewalk grates along Hillside Avenue in Queens. The intention of the project is to prevent catastrophic flooding of the subway system, like that which occurred in August of this year, crippling the system. The grates in Queens were designed by Rogers Marvel Architects along with di Domenico & Partners, with the aesthetic of a flowing wave, referencing the problem the grates are there to deter. In addition to the grates role of holding back the tides, a built in bench is included in the design, to encourage all your loitering needs.
As if that wasn’t enough, the MTA continued beating the beauty of NYC with a sock fulls of buffalo nickels, when yesterday, it installed the second flood prevention grate prototype, in TriBeCa. Designed by Grimshaw Billings Jackson in conjunction with Systra/HNTB, these flood barriers also incorporate benches, like it’s Queens counterpart, with the addition of much needed bike parking.
See and judge the sidewalk eliminating, toe stumping, graffiti canvas providing, make you trip over people sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, designs for yourself. The Queens prototypes are installed along Hillside Avenue, between the 140’s and 170’s. The TriBeCa version is located in front of 151 West Broadway.
