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More Fulton Transit Center Work Completed

Posted by
on August 3rd, 2012 at 6:10 am

Another project that some of you might have noticed in the Service Diversions over the last few months was the closure of the connection between the A Train, C Train & Manhattan-bound J Train & Z Train at Fulton Street. Yesterday, MTA NYC Transit reopened the connection to the public after completing multiple things while working on the Fulton Transit Center:

At 7:00 a.m. today, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) re-opened the connection between the Fulton Street AC Station mezzanine and the JZ Station southbound platform to the public. The transfer was closed temporarily on March 5, 2012 to allow for renovations of the station.

Improvements to the connection include two new sets of stairs added from the AC platform to the AC mezzanine, bringing the total to 10 sets of stairs. In addition, a number of stairs were widened from their previous configuration. New lighting, floor and wall tiles have also been installed.

“This is a project that continues to gather great momentum allowing customers to enjoy the benefits of the transit improvements we’re making as we continue to build the Fulton Center,” said MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu.

The full contract for the mezzanine, led by Skanska Civil USA Northeast Inc., is scheduled to be completed by December 2012. Remaining work includes the installation of two new escalators and five new elevators. All stair reconfigurations are now completed. The re-opening of the transfer also allows for the last section of the reconstructed AC mezzanine to be opened, which is now completely open to customers.

Other components of Fulton Center have already been completed and opened for customer use, including the rehabilitated 23 Fulton Street Station, new 45 Fulton Street Station southern entrances at Maiden Lane, a new entrance at 135 William Street, as well as both platforms and a underpass at the R Cortlandt Street Station.

This customer benefit is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s larger $1.4 billion Fulton Center project. Scheduled to be completed in June 2014, Fulton Center will link 11 subway lines, PATH service and the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

I personally can’t wait for the Fulton Transit Center to be complete as I think it will be one of the bright spots in our region’s transit infrastructure. Hopefully they keep getting things done & it opens at its current project time.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Rehab Work Complete At 7 D Line Stations

Posted by
on August 3rd, 2012 at 6:03 am

For those who pay attention to the Service Diversions I update frequently, you would have noticed a lot of work on the D Train recently. Most of this work was being done at 7 stations in the southern part of Brooklyn with one of the biggest parts being turning Bay Parkway into a fully ADA compatible station.

Yesterday morning, the MTA marked the end of the work by issuing the following press release:

The completion of the work to rehabilitate seven stations along the West End D Line in Brooklyn was marked today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Bay Parkway Station attended by MTA leaders and local elected officials. This seven station, $88 million stimulus project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 brought station elements at the elevated stations and segments of the elevated structure south of 62nd Street into a state of good repair.

Work included the transformation of the Bay Parkway Station into an ADA key station providing full vertical accessibility for the disabled through the installation of three elevators. One elevator provides access from the street to the unpaid side of the mezzanine and two elevators provide access from the paid side of the mezzanine to the northbound and southbound platforms. The Bay Parkway D Station is the 78th ADA key station in the subway system.

“I take great pride each time we are able to provide our customers with tangible results – modernized stations with updated amenities and the greater ability to serve the disabled,” said MTA New York City Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast. “I would especially like to thank the 33,000 customers who use these stations every day for their patience and flexibility as we had to close these stations at times to make repairs.”

Bay Parkway underwent a complete station rehabilitation including new lighting, new platform edges, rehabilitation of stairs, rehabilitation of the control area, and new platform windscreens. Bay Parkway also features new prototype free standing pedestal speakers to provide customers with real-time service information. Normally, speakers are integrated in the lighting system, however pedestals are now being used when a station’s canopies do not extend the length of the platform. Bay Parkway is the first station to have these pedestals. The Bay Parkway Station, designated as a Landmark, was restored in accordance with State Historic Preservation Office requirements.

The other six stations: 71st Street, 79th Street, 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue, 25th Avenue and Bay 50th Street Stations all underwent component rehabilitation that included new rubbing boards and warning strips at all platform edges, new platform windscreens, rehabilitation of stairs, repaired concrete floors at mezzanines, canopy column base concrete repairs, new windows and doors, painting, new signage and Arts for Transit installations. During the design phase, Arts for Transit worked closely with the architects and engineers at NYC Transit to determine the parameters and sites for the artwork. Artists were chosen through a competitive process that used selection panels comprised of Brooklyn based visual arts professionals and community representatives to review artists’ images of previous work to select finalists. (see art installation descriptions below).

The rehabilitation project also addressed the repair of a substantial amount of structural defects from 63rd Street to north of Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue. Work on the stations was substantially completed on July 10 with the elevators at Bay Parkway going into service this past Monday.

The contract was awarded to Citnalta Construction/Judlau Contracting, JV in August 2009. Rehabilitation work along the West End Line continues under a separate contract for the five stations from 9th Avenue to 62nd Street with completion slated for later this year.

As to be expected, a number of local officials were happy to have the work finally completed. Here is a sample of what some had to say:

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

I applaud the MTA for its continuing efforts to improve service in Brooklyn and for the multi-year, $88 million capital project to restore and update the West End D train elevated line. Its completion is also due in no small part to President Obama and Congress—particularly our Democratic Brooklyn delegation—who authorized funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment (Stimulus) Act of 2009. In addition to the restored structures, new artwork and improved communications equipment along several stops on this line, the Bay Parkway Station in particular now has three new ADA-compliant elevators, making the service more accessible than ever for the thousands of Brooklynites who depend on the line every day.

State Senator Martin Golden

This is a great day for the thousands of Brooklynites who start and end their travels in one of these newly renovated West End Line D train stations. I thank the Transit Authority for the work accomplished at these seven stations that has significantly improved the environment for our commuters.

Representative Jerrold Nadler

I am proud to have supported federal funds for this important project, which has provided much-needed investment in mass transit infrastructure in Southern Brooklyn. These repairs to D train stations will improve the quality of life for thousands of Brooklynites in Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and Gravesend who use this well-trafficked line on a daily basis. The project will help disabled commuters, improve safety, ensure the long-term viability of the D line, and has generated good construction and transit jobs.

As you would expect, most paid lip service to get their name in the papers & ride the coattails of a job well done by the agency. We all know many of these would be the first to trash the agency if it served their “brownie point” agenda.

I will say it was nice to see the work completed & if I get the chance, I will take a swing by in the coming weeks to see how everything looks.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Seeks Retail Space Manager

Posted by
on August 1st, 2012 at 5:43 am

Yesterday afternoon, the MTA announced it is seeking experienced developers & retail operators to oversee the leasing of approximately 65,000 square feet of retail space at the Fulton Transit Center. Here is more courtesy of the press release:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking proposals from experienced developers and retail operators for the long-term master leasing of the Fulton Center. The master lessee will be tasked with handling leasing and operations of the structure as well as the historic Corbin Building, the Dey Street entrance and the attached concourse under Dey Street. The MTA will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the space August 2.

The Fulton Center will eventually link 11 subway lines, PATH service and the World Trade Center site, improving travel for nearly 300,000 daily transit riders. This iconic development will include approximately 65,000 square feet of retail/commercial space and over 50 revenue-generating multimedia displays in the newly constructed Fulton Center complex.

“This out-of-the-box approach to managing our property will optimize rents coming to the MTA while ensuring the highest standards of daily maintenance are kept for our customers,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota. “This new way to address long-term capital asset management will also allow us to focus our resources on our core mission — getting our customers to where they need to go as safely and efficiently as possible.”

“This innovative leasing approach will go a long way toward creating a dynamic public/private destination for Lower Manhattan residents and visitors alike and will deliver an experience befitting a great civic space,” said MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu.

The new Fulton Center building on the southeast corner of Broadway and Fulton Street has been designed by Arup and Grimshaw Architects and is expected to be LEED certified. It will be organized around a grand civic space, defined by a glass-topped atrium with a distinctive light sculpture designed in collaboration with James Carpenter Design Associates. The “oculus” at the top of the atrium will amplify natural light in the space and allow it to penetrate into the subway concourse two levels below the street. Five floors of retail, from transit-oriented spaces below ground, to open retail areas at street level, to two glass-enclosed upper floors, will serve as a retail destination both transit riders and the Lower Manhattan community as a whole. The top two levels of the building will be dedicated to emergency egress and back-of house mechanical systems.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the eight-story Corbin building on the northeast corner of Broadway and John Street is being restored, modernized, and integrated with the Fulton Building. The ground floor will have a prominent retail space and the upper floors of the building may be developed for retail, office, or hotel purposes.

On the southwest corner of Broadway and Dey Street, a new glass pavilion at street level will provide additional access to the Fulton Center. This entrance, set to open later this year, will include a large digital display facing Broadway traffic and approximately 1,301 net square feet of retail space. Below street level, the 27’-wide Dey Street Concourse will connect the Fulton Building and the Corbin Building to the WTC complex, the R and E subway lines, and the WTC PATH station. The concourse will be lined with a distinctive glass wall designed in collaboration with James Carpenter Design Associates and will contain several floor-to-ceiling multimedia displays.

Underground at the 45 Fulton Street Station, the structural work at the northern end of the platform has been completed, strengthening a structure that was first opened to the public over 100 years ago as one of New York City’s first subway stations. The Fulton Street AC Station mezzanine continues to receive new finishes, including floor tile and blue-tinted glass tiles on the mezzanine walls. Other components of Fulton Center have already been completed and opened for customer use, including the rehabilitated 23 Fulton Street Station, new 45 Fulton Street Station southern entrances, a new entrance at 135 William Street, as well as both platforms and a underpass at the R Cortlandt Street Station.

The $1.4 billion Fulton Center is scheduled for completion in June 2014, by which time the MTA anticipates to have the commercial usage areas, and at least a majority of retail stores open for business.

More information about this opportunity including a copy of the Request for Proposals (RFP) may be found at: http://mta.info/mta/realestate/retail_leasing.html starting on Thursday.

It will be interesting to see what companies step forward to take on this task. The timing of this announcement is pretty interesting considering the backlash aimed at the agency for what many see as a sweetheart deal for Apple being in Grand Central. Hopefully whomever gets this gig will do a good job where all sides can win & benefit from the good opportunity that being in a completed Fulton Transit Center would bring.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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State Assemblyman Angry With The MTA

Posted by
on August 1st, 2012 at 2:45 am

Not so long ago, the MTA talked about plans to impose a $1 surcharge. The surcharge would take place when a rider would go to refill non-expired unlimited or pay-per-ride card from within the system. The agency feels they can net $20M annually off the surcharge while cutting back on the littering of Metrocards which are commonplace throughout the system.

However the agency can chalk up Bayside Democratic State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein as someone who is not a fan of the idea. He feels the agency should reconsider. Nathan Duke of the Bayside Patch has more:

State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, is calling on the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reconsider a proposed $1 surcharge on new MetroCards purchased at Long Island Rail Road vending machines.

The assemblyman said the proposal, which was included in the MTA’s preliminary budget for 2013, said the charge “disproportionately” affects commuters in northeast Queens.

“Unlike MetroCard vending machines, LIRR vending machines are incapable of refilling previously purchased cards,” Braunstein said.

Braunstein said many residents in Bayside, Little Neck and Douglaston purchased their cards at vending machines in LIRR stations because they are the only available outlets.

Click here for the complete article.

This honestly seems like a nickel & dime move to further stick it to riders. The one & only positive would be that it should help with the littering problem. However that is not enough to justify sticking it to riders with an unnecessarily high surcharge.

The cards don’t even cost the agency 20 cents each to print yet we have to pay over 5x more to get a new one when the situation arises? Riders who need to get replacement cards are getting shafted even more as they have to wait for a refund & then shell out for a new card as their old one malfunctioned often due to no fault of their own.

All this surcharge screams to me is that the agency needs to get with the time & get rid of the severely outdated MetroCard fare payment system. Technology has given us better options yet as usual the MTA is way behind its peers.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 07-30-12

Posted by
on July 30th, 2012 at 5:30 am

I have just updated the Service Diversions by removing all of the work that wrapped up a short time ago. The latest work for the week is front & center.

As always if I see anything interesting or noteworthy, I will tweet about it so follow @TransitBlogger which you can easily do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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