Resilient Border Street Waterfront Project

Climate Ready Boston studied the East Boston waterfront in two phases. The first phase included the Border Street waterfront within the plan’s study area (Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston 2017). The area is vulnerable to coastal flooding. With sea level rise anticipated around 2030, flooding during a storm would flow across waterfront properties and Border Street. It would then spread throughout low-lying areas of the East Boston community. 

The City is working with waterfront private property owners and the East Boston community to design a coastal resilience strategy across the project area. A primary goal is to prevent near- and long-term flooding from entering the neighborhood. The project area extends from 36 New Street/60 Border Street to 276R Border Street (just north of Liberty Plaza/Shaws), including private properties between Border Street and the waterfront. Additionally, the project seeks to improve stormwater management, reduce the urban heat island effect, and enhance connectivity along and access to the East Boston waterfront.

The Existing Conditions and Preliminary Design Report was completed in January 2025 and provides information about the project, including:

• Existing Conditions: Past supporting analyses and design concepts; neighborhood history and context; project area description, including land uses, stakeholders, existing coastal infrastructure, topography, and more; historic and present-day flooding; and regulatory and land use considerations.
• Basis of Design: Future climate risk and vulnerability; community feedback; district considerations (environmental and structural); proposed preliminary design approaches; data gaps; and next steps for advancing the project into the design phase.