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Resilient Moakley Park Connectors

The City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are working together to advance the design of coastal resilience strategies in the areas north and south of Moakley Park.

Boston's Congressional delegation secured a $1,650,000 earmark for FY2022 Congressionally Directed Spending from the FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program to help Boston extend the implementation of coastal resilience infrastructure to the north and south of Moakley Park. This project is a collaboration between:

  • the City of Boston
  • the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
  • the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and
  • other partners.

Over a 2-3 year period, the project will complete all pre-construction planning and design activities in support of climate resilience investments on the northern and southern areas of Moakley Park. 

  • Still have questions? Contact:
    Environment
  • PROJECT INFORMATION

    Project Lead: City of Boston Environment Department

    Project Type: Coastal resilience infrastructure 100% design and permitting

    Project Status: Underway

    Project Budget: $2,178,000 

  • PROJECT CONTACTS

    Hannah Wagner - Climate Resilience Project Manager: hannah.wagner@boston.gov

Stay Tuned for Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Past Community Engagement

The Resilient Moakley Park Connectors Project held two public events in April 2024. These events introduced the project, discussed site goals, and shared next steps. The In-Person Site Walk was held on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 10am to 12pm at the Edward J McCormack Bath House at Carson Beach. The Virtual Workshop was held on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 from 6-7:30pm. Both events covered the same information. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Project Background

In South Boston and Dorchester, Moakley Park and the adjacent areas represent a large future flood pathway. With 40 inches of sea-level rise, Moakley Park, in combination with Fort Point Channel, becomes the location of a major flood pathway. This flood pathway would likely flood portions of the South End and Roxbury during a 1% storm event. That could directly impact an estimated 35,000 people around 2070, including over 1,700 low- income families in two Boston Housing Authority projects. Protecting these neighborhoods is a priority for the region and the City.

In early 2019, the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department completed the Moakley Park Vision Plan. The plan is a collective vision for adding climate resilience and new programs to the park. Building upon the Moakley Park Vision Plan, the City submitted an application for a FY21 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant to complete design and construction of the Park’s resilience elements. The application has been identified for further review.

Inundation extent from the 1% annual chance storm in 2070 (shown in blue) in the Moakley Park area
Inundation from the projected 1% annual chance storm event with 40 inches of sea level rise in the vicinity of Moakley Park. Inundation extends along the shoreline beyond the bounds of Moakley Park itself.

Inundation under 40 inches of sea level rise and the 1% annual chance event extends along the shoreline beyond the bounds of Moakley Park itself. Therefore, to entirely close the flood pathway, it is necessary to extend the resilience improvements planned for Moakley Park to the areas immediately adjacent to the northern and southern edges of the park. The goal of the Resilient Moakley Connectors project is to reduce current and future flood damage and provide protection to populations of residents, infrastructure, utilities, and structures in the flood pathway of South End and Roxbury by extending the Moakley Park resilience project and connecting it to the surrounding projects.

  • Still have questions? Contact:
    Environment
  • PROJECT INFORMATION

    Project Lead: City of Boston Environment Department

    Project Type: Coastal resilience infrastructure 100% design and permitting

    Project Status: Underway

    Project Budget: $2,178,000 

  • PROJECT CONTACTS

    Hannah Wagner - Climate Resilience Project Manager: hannah.wagner@boston.gov

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