As the prime consultant and technical lead for the City of Boston’s first neighborhood coastal resiliency plan, Kleinfelder developed an implementation plan for coastal infrastructure to protect areas of East Boston and Charlestown that are at greatest risk from sea level rise and storm surge flooding.
Responsible for project management, resiliency engineering, regulatory and policy recommendations, and interagency coordination, Kleinfelder helped the City overcome technical complexities, resolve jurisdictional and ownership issues, create design standards and evaluation criteria, meet an aggressive six-month grant-driven schedule, identify potential funding sources for completing design and construction, and generate political buy-in through extensive stakeholder engagement. Kleinfelder provided the City with decision-making tools and information, including spatial requirements for different infrastructure options, cost estimates, multi-criteria alternatives analysis, and adaptive build-out scenarios.
The City immediately began implementing the plan’s recommendations, beginning with installation of a 7-foot high deployable flood wall across the East Boston Greenway, elevation of a road section in Charlestown, and various planning studies. When fully implemented, the climate resiliency plan will protect over 14,000 residents, over 400 businesses, and many critical facilities, while preventing $1.5 billion in estimated damage and losses from flooding.
Kleinfelder’s multi-disciplinary team worked closely with the City and stakeholders to identify at-risk areas and design phased actions to mitigate the escalating risks of flooding. Through iterative design and engagement, solutions were developed that included flood barriers, elevated parks, multi-purpose berms, and nature-based barriers with the co-benefits of creating new open space, waterfront access, increased mobility, and potential development opportunities.
Location:
East Boston & Charlestown, Massachusetts
Owner:
City of Boston
