NYC begins project to tackle recurrent flooding in Rosedale, Queens

NEW YORK - Some Queens residents coping with recurrent flooding are getting some help from New York City.

Wednesday, the city announced a major upgrade to the storm sewers in Rosedale . It's a neighborhood where homeowners have repeatedly had to deal with flooding on their streets, and in their basements.

A $51.8 million infrastructure project will help manage stormwater in the area, including new storm sewers and catch basins. The project will also reconstruct 36 blocks with new roadways. It's part of a $2.65 billion investment by the city to alleviate flooding in neighborhoods throughout southeast Queens .

"This infrastructure is going to help this community become more resilient and get water off the streets and reduce the chance of water main breaks and disruptions to the community in the future," DEP Acting Assistant Commissioner Wendy Sperduto said.

This comes after flood conditions kept emerging at the same corners and street corners. A storm in September left Brookville Bouleavard near 147th Avenue impassable, with cars submerged in water.

"It seemed like something that was never going to be fixed"

"Whether it be a small amount of rain or a significant amount of rain, it always ponds here, and then it always comes up to the sidewalk, to the fence, onto the grass," resident Jeremy Babb said.

Babb has lived at the corner of 259th Street and 147th Avenue with his family for more than 15 years.

"It seemed like it was something that was never going to be fixed," Babb said.

Babb says he's optimistic the project will make a much-needed difference.

"It's really something that will change our lives, the lives of everybody in Rosedale, for the better, make them feel more happy and comfortable about the neighborhood they live in," Babb said.

The project is set to be completed by the winter of 2026.