Chief’s Report signed for Rahway River scheme

Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, Chief of Engineers, has signed a Chief’s Report recommending to Congress a Coastal Storm Risk Management Project for Tidal sections of the Rahway River— representing completion of a key milestone, reports the Army Corps, New York District.

The Chief’s Report will now undergo further review by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and Office of Management and Budget before formal submittal to Congress for authorization.

The principle features of the proposed project would reduce the risk of damages from flooding in portions of the City of Rahway, Borough of Carteret, and Linden Township, N.J.

The Recommended Plan consists of structural and nonstructural components. The structural components consist of a levee segment in Joseph Medwick Park in Middlesex County. The Nonstructural Plan includes elevation and flood proofing for properties in each of the three towns.

“This Chief’s Report is a result of outstanding collaboration to achieve the next step that will lead to project implementation that will provide flood risk reduction to homes and businesses for the region and specifically for Rahway, Carteret and Linden, New Jersey that were devastated by Superstorm Sandy and is long overdue,” said Col. Thomas D. Asbery, commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District.

The next step will be the approval of the Chief’s Report by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, after which it will be sent to Congress for possible authorization for construction.

Once authorized and funded, the project would move forward.