Dear editor,
A barge arrived in South Cove a week ago.
Do you have any idea why it is there and what they are doing?
More importantly, when will they leave?
Evan Dillon
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Nicholas Sbordone, spokesperson for the Battery Park City Authority replies:
Keeping 36 acres of parkland the jewel of Battery Park City takes a lot of work, and that includes regular maintenance of the BPC Esplanade to ensure enjoyment of this spectacular public amenity for generations to come.
The Battery Park City Authority is in the process of a multi-year effort to strengthen the “pilings” – thick concrete supports driven into the riverbed that serve as a foundation for the Esplanade – by encasing them in fiberglass lined with an epoxy-based grout, a process that will add decades to their useful life.
The latest phase work is now underway in South Cove, where more than 200 pilings are being treated as part of this program. To facilitate this effort, a barge will be stationed in South Cove from early May through the end of October 2017. A portion of the South Cove’s quay will be closed for the duration of the project to facilitate worker access, but the cove overall will remain open to the public throughout.