Flood Barrier Approved for Manhattan's East Side

"The City Council approved Mayor Bill de Blasio's $1.3 billion plan to keep the East Side of Manhattan high and dry when the next storm surge hits," report Will Bredderman and Ryan Deffenbaugh.

The plan will clear the way for "a flood barrier of up to 13 feet high along a 2.5-mile stretch of East River coastline between Montgomery and East 25th streets."

As recently as September, the plan was surrounded in controversy, when Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Carlina Rivera called for an independent investigation of the project.

The roll call vote to approve the project "also came just days after de Blasio agreed to create a community advisory council for the infrastructure undertaking," according to Rivera.