The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, Río Puerto Nuevo Flood Risk Management Project team participated in a community meeting with approximately 40 attendees on March 28, 2023. During the two-hour event, the group, composed of mainly residents of the area, learned the latest information about the project and could ask questions and express their concerns. USACE engineers and personnel from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) addressed the public’s concerns.
José Bilbao, Chief, Rio Puerto Nuevo Section, offered opening remarks alongside Brenda Calvente, Chief, Puerto Rico Integrated Program Office. Both engineers expressed their gratitude to the community for joining the team to discuss the progress that has been made and the upcoming work beginning soon. Some of the topics addressed were general descriptions of the approaching construction, utility relocation, project access routes, and projected temporary impacts during the construction period of performance.
Bilbao explained the benefits of the project, which includes a recreational area, currently in conceptual the phase, that will benefit residents of San Juan, as well as a flood risk reduction in the event of a 100-year rainfall.
Puerto Nuevo Norte residents expressed concerns about the vibration the project will produce in the structures of the oldest neighborhood built in Puerto Rico, construction-related dust and its effect on elderly residents and the human resources the Non-Federal Sponsor, DNER, will provide them to work with any issue related to the project.
To that end, Maricarmen Crespo, P.E., Antilles Office Area Engineer, clarified USACE construction standards, explained the responsibilities of the contractors regarding the neighbors’ concerns and detailed best practices on how to document if the project negatively impacts a residence.
Community meetings are essential engagements where USACE communicates directly with the public, local government, agencies, and other stakeholders and provide a space to provide information, address concerns and build community relations.
After two hours, the meeting came to an end with the Río Puerto Nuevo Flood Risk Management Project team’s commitment to a second meeting to address concerns that were left unanswered due to time limitations.
The Puerto Nuevo Flood and Risk Management Project consists of several segments of projects whose construction is expected to be completed in 2032.
The objective of these projects is to improve the capacity of the current channels since, in their existing state, they cause severe flooding both to residents and businesses in the area.
Once the project is completed, it is estimated to provide economic benefits of approximately $125 million per year.
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