Salvatore Polizzi, owner of Tony’s Pizzeria, reflects on the decades of flooding his family business has endured, as city officials unveil a plan to address the issue with a $390 million investment.
Photo by Jean Schwarzwalder/NYC Environmental Protection
City officials announced Wednesday that $390 million will be invested in Bushwick’s sewer system to address chronic flooding that has plagued the neighborhood for decades.
The overhaul will begin with Knickerbocker Avenue, with plans to improve the water drainage system and reduce the impact of flooding, which has become more frequent in recent years.
Construction will extend to Wilson, Central and Evergreen Avenues.
“Anyone who was born and raised in Bushwick knows that there’s been flooding here for decades,” City Council Member Sandy Nurse told the crowd at the Feb. 26 press conference.
The investments will replace about three miles of sewer piping, increasing its capacity by 850%.
Renovations will also address water catch basins, and more than a mile of water mains will be replaced to improve the neighborhood’s water distribution infrastructure.
“ This is a historic investment in Bushwick,” Nurse said. “It’s one of the largest we’ve seen in I don’t even know how long — I couldn’t recall anything this big.”
The project is part of the City of Yes initiative, a $5 billion rezoning and infrastructure improvement plan approved under the Adams administration in 2023.
The infrastructure overhaul is supported by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the mayor’s office, and Nurse.
“Bushwick has needed new sewer infrastructure since the 1960s — but the need has become more pronounced as more extreme weather has become our new normal in New York,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.
At the press conference, DEP presented photos of a major flood from 1966 alongside nearly identical images of a 2023 flood that engulfed the same Bushwick cross streets.
Salvatore Polizzi, who runs the family-owned business Tony’s Pizzeria, called the announcement “a bittersweet moment” for the community.
“Businesses, residents, and building owners have been on the front lines,” he said. “Every business in this community along Knickerbocker Ave. has suffered every single year.”
Polizzi’s parents opened Tony’s Pizzeria at 443 Knickerbocker Ave. in 1975. Every year, they worried about how the next flood would impact their merchandise, customer traffic, and revenue, Polizzi said at the press conference.
“ It’s been a nightmare,” he said.
The anticipation of the next flood is a shared concern within the community.
Carmine Camporese, owner of IL Bel Paese Pizzeria & Trattoria at 305 Knickerbocker Ave., pointed to his white car, seen half submerged in one of DEP’s 2023 flood photos. The car was later lost due to flood damage, Camporese told Brooklyn Paper.
Camporese, who does not have flood insurance, said it was difficult to determine how much money his pizzeria lost in ruined products after the basement flooded.
The city plans to support local residents and businesses by replacing all privately owned water service lines found to contain lead, at no cost to property owners.
Newly added FloodNet sensors have been installed at the intersection of Knickerbocker Avenue and Hart Street. The sensors provide the city with real-time flooding information to monitor dangerous conditions and drain blockages.
“With climate change on the rise, it’s more important than ever to protect our streets, homes, and businesses from extreme flooding,” Mayor Adams said in a statement. “This nearly $400-million investment as part of our ‘City of Yes’ proposal will help do exactly that.”
The construction timeline is still a few years away. The project is slated to begin in 2029, with a projected construction period of three to four years.
