The Blind Brook wall by the Rye YMCA and the Locust Avenue bridge collapsed into the brook last Thursday, March 12, 2026. The walkway alongside the main YMCA building at 21 Locust Avenue was closed out of “an abundance of caution” according to Y officials.
The Blind Brook is one of the centerpoints of flooding in Rye. The YMCA has had to reinforce its building over the years after being the subject of flooding from the brook. The Rye Free Reading Room, on the opposite side of the brook, has also been badly flooded over the years and is looking at reconstructing its retaining wall along the brook.
The Locust Avenue bridge is just feet away from the collapse. The City received an initial $5 million to replace the bridge in 2023 but it needs to come up with another $4.5 million (or likely more due to inflation) to fund the project. Parking lot 1 on the other side of Locust Avenue was rebuilt in 2024 with “nature based solutions” including bioretention to filter stormwater before it enters the Blind Brook.
The damage of the brook sidewall demonstrates how much is needed to maintain our infrastructure, contain water and mitigate flood risk. The Rye Y said it was waiting for “a review and proposal from an engineer on next steps for repair” and City Manager Brian Shea told MyRye.com the City was “keeping a close eye on it and working with the Y toward a repair.”
