Crews began to cut down several trees in Yonkers Friday as part of a flood mitigation project.

When Tropical Storm Ida hit the Hudson Valley, the area around Nepperhan Avenue in Yonkers was severely flooded as rainwater overwhelmed the Saw Mill River and stranded houses and cars.

Yonkers City Engineer Paul Summerfield explained that Nepperhan Avenue is one of several of locations in the city chosen several years ago for a $3 million flood mitigation project funded by the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery.

"We seem to be getting larger storms and more frequently, so this is as a defense to that. We are going to give us a little more breathing space in terms of when the storms occur," Summerfield.

The next step is to raise the berm about 2 feet and fill in some dirt to make it less steep. The goal is to bolster the barrier to prevent the Saw Mill River from spilling over into Nepperhan Avenue.

As News 12 previously reported, Groundwork Hudson Valley hired a group of Yonkers teens hired to plant young trees to help hold soil in place along the Saw Mill River at the same location over the summer.

The project the near Saw Mill River is expected to be completed by next May.

More trees and grass will be planted in the area upon completion of the project.