New York State Senator Pete Harckham and State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg announced today the completion of the $25 million Annsville Circle Flood Mitigation Project in the Town of Cortlandt, NY, marking a major investment in climate resilience and public safety for the Hudson Valley.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) project reconstructed and elevated the roadway at the Annsville Circle along Routes 6/202, a critical transportation link that historically has been vulnerable to flooding from rising water levels and severe storms.
“For years, Annsville Circle has been a symbol of how extreme weather and rising water levels disrupt daily life for our residents and businesses,” said Harckham. “This $25 million investment is solid evidence of the growing cost of climate change and shows both the challenge we face and our commitment to meeting it head-on. I thank Governor Hochul, the Department of Transportation, our local partners, and everyone involved in bringing this project to completion.”
“This project is a big win for the residents of Cortlandt and everyone who relies on this critical commuter corridor,” said Levenberg. “By elevating the roadway, adding pedestrian connections to the adjacent waterways, and utilizing innovative, environmentally friendly materials, this project sets a new standard for how we build resilient infrastructure in our region. Resiliency is something we must continue investing in as flooding and other extreme weather threaten so much of our built environment. I thank Governor Hochul and the NYSDOT for their continued attention to the infrastructure needs of my district.”
The comprehensive resiliency effort raised the elevation of the circle and its approaches, strengthened embankments, improved drainage systems, and enhanced stormwater management capacity to reduce the risk of future flooding. The improvements are designed to keep this vital corridor open and operational during heavy rain events and tidal surges, helping to ensure safer travel and protecting local commerce.
Town of Cortlandt Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker said, “On behalf of the Town of Cortlandt, I want to thank Senator Harckham and Assemblymember Levenberg for helping remedy the recurrent Annsville Circle flooding situation. As our community is aware, the Annsville Circle has suffered from rising river water levels, resulting in repeated flooding with disruption of traffic. By elevating the roadway above the floodplain, this major traffic corridor will remain safe and passable during the worst storms. We are grateful to the two legislators for their continued efforts to maintain and expand our infrastructure.”
Using lightweight fill material manufactured from recycled glass, the climate resilience project elevated the highway at the Annsville Circle by four feet and lifted other sections of the road in the vicinity of the circle by as much as seven feet. It was one of the first NYSDOT projects to use foamed glass fill, which is environmentally friendly and lightweight.
Additional improvements included LED street lighting in the vicinity of the circle to enhance visibility, pedestrian crosswalks and a shared use path that connects the Annsville Creek Paddlesport Center with the Jan Peeck Bridge over Annsville Creek. The path also provides users with access to Annsville Preserve Park and the Hudson River. While major construction has been completed, additional work in the spring will add native trees and shrubs in the center of the roundabout along with roadside grass.
A future project to raise the elevation of the last section of Routes 6/202 adjacent to Camp Smith and west of Annsville Circle is scheduled to begin during the 2027 construction season.
