On any given morning in Battery Park in Manhattan, residents and tourists stop at the South Cove Jetty to take in views of the Hudson River. The serene connection of this work of art with the waterfront – as created by designer Mary Miss – has endured for all visitors to enjoy. After 30 years though, the timber structure was ready for a deck replacement and structural rehabilitation. The main direction the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) gave to Urban Engineers for this project was to protect the artistic expression of the pedestrian bridge and jetty. After an initial investigation, Urban discovered additional deterioration. The firm focused on a repair for the piles, braces, and decking that would maintain the artist’s original work, while improving the jetty’s structural integrity.

While trying to conserve the visual of the artist’s original structure, Urban employed a few creative methods of design. The majority of the supporting piles were stable. However, many had begun to show signs of deterioration in the tidal zone. Urban designed a splice repair for the damaged piles. A multilayer layer wrap system was recommended to protect all the piles from further deterioration.