New York City is investing $8.4 million to convert concrete roadway medians in Whitestone, Forest Hills and Queens Village into green infrastructure designed to capture stormwater and reduce flood risk.

The projects are expected to collectively manage about 5 million gallons of stormwater annually, reducing pressure on the city’s sewer system and helping limit combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the East River, Flushing Bay and Jamaica Bay.

Work will replace existing concrete medians with engineered soils, underground storage systems and native plantings. New inlets will divert roadway runoff into the medians, where it can be temporarily stored and infiltrated. The projects will also include new curbs, pedestrian improvements and ADA-compliant ramps.

The $5 million in state grants comes through New York’s Green Innovation Grant Program and Water Quality Improvement Project. The remaining funding is being provided through city capital investments.

In Whitestone, the 1,105-foot median along Francis Lewis Boulevard is nearing completion and is designed to manage 1.11 million gallons annually. The 3,245-foot Forest Hills project along Union Turnpike is expected to manage 2.43 million gallons annually, while the 1,182-foot Queens Village project on Springfield Boulevard is designed to manage 1.44 million gallons.

Construction on the Queens Village project is expected to begin later this year, while the Forest Hills medians are scheduled for planting this fall.