Archive for Fulton Street
Aug
17
A Transit Center grows at Fulton St.
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The foundation for the Fulton St. Transit Center as seen from above. (Photo: Peter Kaufman/Ink Lake)
The MTA announced today a milestone at the site of the future Fulton St. Transit Center. Both the underpinning for the Corbin Building and the foundation for the Fulton Street Transit Center are complete, and progress remains on pace for a 2014 opening of the long-awaited complex.
“We have reached a significant milestone by completing the foundation of what will become a landmark transportation facility,” Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction, said. “Anyone who has had to navigate the myriad of ramps, stairs, and confusing signs at Fulton Street understands the importance of providing our customers with a more seamless experience at this major downtown hub. The Transit Center will improve travel for hundreds of thousands of daily commuters and lower Manhattan residents and visitors while providing a modern and convenient retail location.”
When completed, the $1.4 billion transit center will vastly improve the Lower Manhattan transit experience for over 300,000 daily customers. Both street access and station navigation will be vastly improved, and the upgrades include better circulation and reduced overcrowding for the A/C platform as well as a new underground concourse that will connect the R at Cortlandt St. and the 4/5 at Broadway with the PATH Hub and the World Financial Center. The completed transit center will also feature 25,000 square feet of new retail.
With the foundation complete, the MTA will now began to build up the center itself, and in a few months, the structure will begin to peak above the blue construction fence. In the press release touting this milestone, the MTA praised Skanska, the contractor, for keeping the project on time. Of course, original plans called for the then-$750 million transit center to open in late 2009. “On time,” then, is all relative.
Jun
18
At Fulton St., a building grows and a name changes
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The Fulton St. Transit Center hasn’t made headlines lately, and for that, the MTA must be thrilled. As the decade of cost overruns and missed deadlines, the $1.4 billion complex is on pace for a June 2014 opening. Today, DNA Info’s Julie Shapiro took a tour behind the construction fence, and the MTA runs through the regular rigamarole of construction. In a nutshell, everything is on target.
I, meanwhile, have another glimpse from above. Peter from Ink Lake blog sent in the photo atop this post, and the shape of the transit center is coming into view. Below the construction equipment, however, is something even more intriguing. One part of the Fulton St. complex is undergoing a name change.
For years, the A/C IND stop at Fulton St. hasn’t been called such. It is instead the Broadway/Nassau St. stop, and the nomenclature has been confusing for decades. As Peter noted earlier this week, this station stop will soon be called Fulton St. as well. In fact, the tiles in the walls of Brooklyn-bound side already say Fulton St. while the uptown side of the station still says Broadway/Nassau.
The odd naming patterns, says Peter, make sense historically. He writes, “All the lines except the IND, run perpendicular to Fulton Street, and thus intersect it. The A/C, runs along Fulton, and the streets it intersects with are Broadway on the western end of the station and Nassau in the easterly direction.” While one Subchatter criticizes the typography, the new name will unify the station and reduce confusion. Plus, says, Transit, because this deep platform no longer has its own street entrances, the different name served no purpose.
For a glimpse at the before-and-after photos of the station wall, click through the jump. Read More→
Apr
30
The Fulton St. month ahead and weekend changes
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With a new month upon us, the MTA has released its look ahead at Fulton St. Here we go:
May 1-3
A/C trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A/C, 2/, and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau.
No 2/3 trains at Fulton Street.
May 8-10
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
C trains operate between 168th Street and 2nd Avenue F station (from West 4th Street C trains are rerouted along the F line to Broadway-Lafayette and Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F stations).
No 2/3 trains at Fulton Street.
May 15-17
No 4/5 trains at Fulton Street; customers should take the special J shuttle.
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
No C service; customers should take the A instead. (Note: the 207th Street-bound A trains operate on the F line from Jay Street to West 4th Street.)
May 22-24
A trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the A, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
C operates between 168th Street and Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F station.
May 29-31
AC trains bypass Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions.
No transfers between the AC, 2/3 and 4/5 at Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau St.
The rest of the service advisories are as follows. Grab ‘em in map form at Subway Weekender.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no 2 trains between Manhattan and Brooklyn:
- 2 trains are will operate between Wakefield-241st Street and South Ferry. (2 trains will be rerouted at Chambers Street to the 1 line.)
- Customers traveling to and from Brooklyn may switch to the 4 at Bowling Green. (Free out-of-system transfers are available between the 2 at South Ferry and the 4 at Bowling Green.)
- Weekend 5 service is extended to Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn. Manhattan-bound 5 trains run express from Franklin Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
- During the overnight hours, 2 shuttle trains operate between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue. Atlantic Avenue-bound 2 shuttle trains run express from Franklin Avenue to Atlantic Avenue.
- Customers may transfer between the 4 and 2 shuttle trains at Atlantic Avenue.
These changes are due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets, and a cable pull south of Nevins Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 2 trains run local between 96th Street and Chambers Street due to reconstruction work on the track bridge underpass at 96th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 3 trains run local between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street due to reconstruction work on the track bridge underpass at 96th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no 3 trains between 14th Street and New Lots Avenue due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. For service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, customers should use 4 service which is extended to New Lots Avenue. During the overnight hours, 3 service is extended to 14th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, 4 train service is extended to/from New Lots Avenue to replace the 3 in Brooklyn due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. Note: Manhattan-bound 4 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza and Bergen Street.
From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, 5 service is extended to Flatbush Avenue due to a chip out at Borough Hall, a track dig out between Wall and Fulton Streets and a cable pull south of Nevins Street. Manhattan-bound 5 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza, and Bergen Street. Note: There is no 5 service in Manhattan and Brooklyn overnight.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, the last stop for some Bronx-bound 6 trains is 3rd Avenue-138th Street due to station rehabilitation and structural repair at Whitlock Avenue, Morrison-Sound View Aves., and Parkchester.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains skip Elder and St. Lawrence Avenues and will stop at the Manhattan-bound Parkchester station platform due to station rehabilitation and structural repair at Whitlock Avenue, Morrison-Sound View Aves., and Parkchester.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no A trains between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway due to station rehab work at Beach 60th and Beach 36th Streets. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service. Note: There is no Rockaway Park Shuttle S service between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Brooklyn-bound A trains run express from 59th Street to Canal Street due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.
From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Brooklyn-bound C trains run express from 59th Street to Canal Street due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.
From 5 a.m. Saturday, May 1 and 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, Coney Island-bound D trains run on the N line from 36th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due track panel installation at 20th Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, May 1, Manhattan-bound D trains skip 174th-175th Sts. and 170th Street due to a track chip out north of 170th Street.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Jamaica Center-bound E trains run local from 21st Street-Queensbridge to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, Manhattan-bound E trains run local from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Queens Plaza due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, E trains are rerouted in Manhattan and Queens:
- No E service between West 4th Street and World Trade Center
- Manhattan-bound E trains skip Lexington Avenue-53rd Street, then after West 4th Street, reroute to the F and operate to 2nd Avenue.
- Queens-bound E service begins at 2nd Avenue and operates on the F line to 21st Street-Queensbridge, then resumes on the E line to Jamaica Center.
- Free shuttle buses connect the 21st Street-Queensbridge, 23rd Street-Ely Avenue/Court Square and Queens Plaza stations. Shuttle buses are subject to disruption on Sunday, between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for the Five Borough Bike Tour.
These changes are due to the 5th Avenue Interlocking Signal System Modernization.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, F trains run local between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and 21st Street-Queensbridge due to a substation rehabilitation north of Roosevelt Avenue.
From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, May 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday, May 2, there are no J trains between Crescent Street and Jamaica Center due to track panel installation north of Woodhaven Boulevard. E trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service via Jamaica-Van Wyck.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, uptown Q trains run local from Times Square-42nd Street to 57th Street-7th Avenue due to a track dig out at Times Square.
From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, Q trains run in two sections due to rail repairs:
- Between 57th Street-7th Avenue and Brighton Beach and
- Between Brighton Beach and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, May 3, there are no S trains between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park due to station rehabilitations at Beach 36th and Beach 60th Streets. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service via Howard Beach.
Apr
17
A glimpse at Fulton St. and weekend service advisories
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Friend-of-SAS Peter of Ink Lake blog fame sent us another photo of the ongoing construction at the site of the future Fulton St. Transit Hub. As we can see, the building is slowly starting to take shape, and the oculus will one day arise from this steel frame. Meanwhile, many of this weekend’s service advisories are based around the work at Fulton St. Let’s get to them.
As always, these come to me from the MTA and are subject to change. Listen to on-board announcements and check the signs as you travel this weekend. Subway Weekender has your map.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, 2/3 trains run local between Times Square-42nd Street and 96th Street due to a track dig out at 50th Street and a concrete pour at 79th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, 3 service is extended to/from 34th Street-Penn Station due to a track dig out at 50th Street and a concrete pour at 79th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, downtown 46 trains run express from 14th Street to Brooklyn Bridge due to gap filler replacement at 14th Street and work on the Broadway-Lafayette to Bleecker Street transfer.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, there are no 5 trains between Dyre Avenue and 149th Street-Grand Concourse due to rail work at East 180th Street and a cable pull on the Dyre Avenue line. Free shuttle buses and 2 trains provide alternate service.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, free shuttle buses replace A trains between Far Rockaway and Beach 90th Street due to station rehabilitation at Beach 36th Street and Beach 60th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, 207th Street-bound A trains run on the F line from Jay Street to West 4th Street, then local to 59th Street due to work on the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, A trains run local between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Euclid Avenue due to work on the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, A trains skip Broadway-Nassau Street in both directions due to construction at the Fulton Street Transit Center complex.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, C trains run on the F line between West 4th Street and 2nd Avenue. This change is due to work on the Chambers Street Signal Modernization Project. Customers to Manhattan may take a downtown A or E at West 4th Street. For Brooklyn, customers may take the A or F instead.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 16 to 6 a.m. Saturday, April 17, from 11 p.m. Saturday, April 17 to 7 a.m. Sunday, April 18, from 11 p.m. Sunday, April 18 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, Manhattan-bound D trains skip 175th-175th and 170th Streets due to a track chip out north of 170th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, Manhattan-bound D trains run on the N line from Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street, then express to Pacific Street, bypassing DeKalb Avenue and continuing on its regular route. This change is due to renewal of a track switch north of 9th Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, Jamaica-bound E trains run on the F line from West 4th Street to Roosevelt Avenue due to work on the 5th Avenue Interlocking Signal System Modernization.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, the Jamaica-bound platforms at 5th Avenue, Lexington Avenue-53rd Street and 23rd Street-Ely Avenue are closed due to work on the 5th Avenue Interlocking Signal System Modernization. Customers should take the R6 or shuttle bus instead. Note: Free shuttle buses connect the Court Aquare-23rd Street-Ely Avenue, Queens Plaza and 21st Street-Queensbridge stations.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, Manhattan-bound E trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to track cable work.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, F trains replace the C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets and Euclid Avenue due to Jay Street station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector to Lawrence Street station. Note: During daytime hours trains run express; during the late night hours, trains run local.
From 8:30 a.m. Friday, April 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, there is no G train service between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to Jay Street station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector to Lawrence Street station. Customers should take the E or R instead. Note: R trains run local with exceptions.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, G trains replace the F between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due to Jay Street station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector to Lawrence Street station.
From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 10 p.m. Sunday, April 18, there are no J trains between Crescent Street and Jamaica Center due to track panel installation north of Woodhaven Boulevard. E trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, Manhattan-bound N trains run express from 36th Street to Pacific Street due to repair of pump room equipment near DeKalb Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, N trains are rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge between Canal Street and DeKalb Avenue due to station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector at the Lawrence Street station. Note: Manhattan-bound N trains skip DeKalb Avenue.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 16 to 7 a.m. Saturday, April 17, from 11 p.m. Saturday, April 17 to 8 a.m. Sunday, April 18 and from 11 p.m. Sunday, April 18 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, uptown Q trains run local from Times Square-42nd Street to 57th Street-7th Avenue due to a track dig out north of Times Square.
From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, Q trains run in two sections due to rail repairs:
- Between 57th Street-7th Avenue and Brighton Beach and
- Between Brighton Beach and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue
From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, there are no R shuttle trains between 59th Street and 36th Street (Brooklyn) due to repair of pump room equipment near DeKalb Avenue. Customers should take the N instead.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, Manhattan-bound R trains run express from 36th Street to Pacific Street due to repair of pump room equipment near DeKalb Avenue.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, Manhattan-bound R trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to track cable work.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 17 and Sunday, April 18, R trains are rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge between Canal Street and DeKalb Avenue due to Jay Street rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector to the Lawrence Street station. Note: Manhattan-bound R trains skip DeKalb Avenue.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 19, A trains replace Rockaway Park Shuttle S train between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park due to station rehabilitation at Beach 36th and Beach 60th Streets.
At all times until April 19, 2010, the Broad Channel-bound S platform at Beach 98th Street is closed for rehabilitation.
Apr
02
A Fulton St. update and more service advisories
Posted by: | CommentsIn an effort to keep New Yorkers informed of the status of work at the Fulton St. complex, Transit sent out a month-at-a-glance poster earlier this week. I’ve printed the poster below. The work, according to Transit, will impact the IND platform at Broadway/Nassau this month. The work includes reinforcing the girders over the platform and digging pits on the platform so that crews can partially construct elevator shafts throughout all levels of the station. One day, a transit hub will arise.
After the poster come this week’s service advisories.
Below are the weekend’s service advisories. As always, these comes to me via Transit and are subject to change without notice. Listen to all on-board announcements and pay attention to signs in your local station. These are available in map form from Subway Weekender.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, there are no 1 trains between 14th Street and South Ferry. The 2/3 trains provide alternate service, running local between 14th Street and Chambers Street. Free shuttle buses replace 1 trains between Chambers Street and South Ferry. Please note that during the day 1 trains skip 18th, 23rd, and 28th Streets in both directions. During the overnight hours, 1 trains skip 18th, 23rd, and 28th Streets only in the uptown direction. These service changes are due to Port Authority work at the World Trade Center site and concrete pours at 50th Street and 79th Streets.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, 23 trains run local from 96th Street to Chambers Street due to concrete pours at 50th Street and 79th Street. Note: Overnight, 3 trains run local between 96th Street and 34th Street.
From 11 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 6 a.m. Saturday, April 3, and from 11 p.m. Sunday, April 4 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Manhattan-bound 4 trains run express from Burnside Avenue to 125th Street due to a track chip out near 149th Street.
From 6:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Sunday, April 4, there are no 5 trains between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and East 180th Street due to track engineering near Jackson Avenue. Customers should take the 2 instead.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, downtown A trains run local from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to Canal Street due to a track chip out at West 4th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, A/C trains skip Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions due to construction work at the Fulton Street Transit Center.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, free shuttle buses replace A trains between Far Rockaway and Beach 90th Street due to track panel work.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Bronx-bound D trains run on the N line from Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street due to switch renewal north of 9th Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, E trains are rerouted to the F line between Roosevelt Avenue and West 4th Street due to work on the 5th Avenue interlocking signal system. Customers should take the 6FR or shuttle bus instead. Note: Free shuttle buses connect the Court Square G/23rd Street-Ely Avenue E, Queens Plaza E, and 21st Street-Queensbridge F stations.
From 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, there is no G train service between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to fan plant work near Queens Plaza. During the day, customers should take the R. During the overnight hours, customers should take the E, making local stops between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and 36th Street. Note: Beginning 11:30 Friday, April 2, free shuttle buses connect the Court Square G/23rd Street-Ely Avenue E, Queens Plaza E, and 21st Street-Queensbridge F stations.
From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday, April 4, there is no J train service between Crescent Street and Jamaica Center due to track panel installation north of Woodhaven Boulevard. Free shuttle buses and the E train provide alternate service.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Queens-bound N trains are rerouted to the R line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track maintenance.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, Manhattan-bound Q trains are rerouted to the R line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track maintenance.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 3 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, uptown Q trains run local from Canal Street to 57th Street-7th Avenue due to a concrete pour at Times Square.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, A trains replace the Rockaway Park Shuttle S between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park due to track panel work.
Mar
05
At Fulton St., checking in on the Corbin Building
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A station arises at Fulton St. (Photo by Peter from Ink Lake)
Now that the MTA has a plan, a timeline and money for the Fulton St. Transit Center, the news from Lower Manhattan has slowed to a trickle. We no longer hear monthly promises of impending plans or status updates featuring more cost overruns or a delayed timeline. As Capital Construction projects go, this one is moving along smoothly right now.
As work crews continue to build atop some of Manhattan’s oldest areas and amidst landmarked buildings, the stories coming out of the Fulton St. area have taken on a different, more in-depth tone. Take, for instance, the latest from Downtown Express’ Julie Shapiro. She highlights the work at the Corbin Building, an 1889 building that abuts the new transit center.
For years, the city has neglected this beautiful building. Just twenty feet wide, it extends 160 feet down John St. and at eight stories, was one of the tallest buildings in Lower Manhattan when it opened 111 years ago. Its ties to transit extend back to its origins as it was named for Austin Corbin, the man responsible for uniting all of the Long Island-based rail lines under the LIRR umbrella.
Before Sept. 11, the building had fallen into a state of disrepair. Time had taken a toll on Francis Kimble’s intricate designs, and after Sept. 11, the building had to undergo extensive repairs. When the MTA announced initial plans for the Fulton St. Transit Center, the Corbin Building was to be demolished. After a public outcry over that plan in 2003, the MTA decided to rethink the future of the Corbin Building and asked architects to incorporate it into updated plans for the hub.
Shapiro picks up the story:
While the M.T.A. was initially against saving the building, the project team now could not be more enthusiastic about the historical details they are uncovering. “This is once in a lifetime for us,” said Uday Durg, program executive for the M.T.A., as he and [Capital Construction president Michael] Horodniceanu gave Downtown Express a tour this week. “This is not the kind of building you see every day. For an engineer, this is the highlight for us — for our whole career.”
…The belowground levels of the building are a hive of activity, as the M.T.A. builds a new foundation of steel and concrete to ensure that the building remains safe. “The foundation left quite a lot to be desired,” Horodniceanu said. “It was great for the time it was built, but not for today.”
The building’s brick supports originally went down only 20 feet below street level, and the building started sinking as the M.T.A. worked on the adjacent Fulton Transit Center. M.T.A. crews are digging down another 35 feet to underpin the building, a painstaking process that should be complete in August.
Then the preservation work will begin: The ornate reddish-brown facade will be cleaned; the intricately decorated grand staircase will be restored; and hidden historical gems, like the original boiler, will be displayed. The building will also get a new roof, new windows and a storefront restored to look just like it did in 1917.
Eventually, these historical elements of the Corbin Building will be incorporated into straphangers’ every-day rides. An escalator will take riders from the depths up Fulton St. past original arches and building boilers. Eventually commercial retailers and maybe even a museum will return to the Corbin Building.
For too many years, New York City has been willing to pile modernism on top of history. A walk around Lower Manhattan reveals little of the 400-year legacy of the Dutch colony and early New York. In the Bronx, even the original Yankee Stadium is being deconstructed. By at the corner of John St. and Broadway, the Corbin Building will remain, incorporated into a 21st Century transit center and serving as a nod to the city’s sometimes-forgotten past.
Jan
08
As a Transit Center grows at Fulton St., service changes abound
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Scenes from above the construction at the Fulton St. Transit Center. (Photos by Peter Kaufman/Ink Lake Blog)
Charitably, the MTA is three years away from wrapping up construction at the Fulton St. Transit Center complex, and as the agency moves ahead with the work at a fairly brisk pace, weekend travel into and out of Brooklyn gets snarled at the new hub. This week, as a lead-in to our service advisories, we have some good stuff out of the construction site.
First, we have some pictures of the Hub. Peter Kaufman of the Ink Lake Blog works above the construction site and has been snapping some pictures as work crews raise a building there. The three thumbnails open larger versions in new windows, and the building is slowly coming together. I look forward to watching the progress via Peter’s camera, and I thank him for the photos.
Underground, things are about to get very, very messy. The MTA is on the verge of replacing a ramp and two staircases that connect the lower-level Broadway/Nassau St. stop with the rest of the complex. Per the press release:
In this current phase of construction, the AC mezzanine, a ramp and two staircases will be removed and replaced over the course of two weekends: January 9-11 and January 16-18. In addition, other subway work taking place on those weekends will affect travel in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Effective Monday, January 18, a new temporary stair will replace the ramp that connects AC trains to the uptown 45 trains.
Also, the remaining platform stairs will each lead to a specific transfer or street exit. Riders are encouraged to consult way-finding signs and brochures that are available at station booths in midtown and lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn. Transit personnel will be on hand both weekends and on Monday, January 18 and Tuesday, January 19, to help direct customers.
One of the aforementioned brochures — detailing the various weekend work and its impact on those traveling through Fulton St. — is available here as a PDF.
To get users through the mess of service advisories, Transit has produced what they call a Life Sized Map of the change. These maps — three feet by four feet — are hanging up stations along the IRT lines that are affected by the Fulton St. work, and they help visualize the various reroutings plaguing popular subway lines. Riders, says Transit, are more apt to notice these maps than they are the oft-ignored service advisory signs that decorate subway stations every weekend. The LSM is embedded below, and you can click on it for a larger image. After the map — and the jump — this weekend’s service changes.
For the rest of this weekend’s service advisories, click here.
Nov
27
After four years, a northbound platform opens at Cortlandt St.
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The street-level entrance on the newly-reopened northbound platform at the BMT Broadway’s Cortlandt St. station. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)
When the Twin Towers fell on Sept. 11, two subways around Lower Manhattan were badly damaged, but the MTA sprung into gear. Although both Cortlandt St. stops were destroyed, the station along the R/W and the 1 line south of Chambers St. — but not its Cortlandt St. station — reopened for service on Sept. 15, 2002. In 2005, though, the R/W station was again shuttered, this time to make way for various projects around Ground Zero.
On Wednesday, one platform at Cortlandt St. on the BMT Broadway line — the R/W station right near Century 21 — reopened. Although the southbound platform will remain closed until Sept. 11, 2011 to allow for Port Authority construction of their PATH train hub, the northbound platform — sans the Fulton St. Transit Center’s Dey St. connection — is in service for the first time in four years.
“Today we celebrate a significant step forward in the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan,” MTA CEO and Chairman Jay Walder said at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “The MTA has played a key role in the revival of Downtown and we’re excited to provide customers with an improved station just in time for the holidays. The opening re-establishes a key travel link for Lower Manhattan residents, commuters, shoppers and tourists.”
The new station isn’t a radical departure from the past as the new South Ferry is. Rather, Cortlandt St. features some basic improvements. The station, which used to service approximately 15,000 passengers a day, has wider staircases and platforms. The walls have been retiled, and the station is sporting a fresh coat of paint.
“The opening of the northbound platform signifies an important milestone towards the completion of the Fulton Street Transit Center Project,” Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction, said. “This is an important day for the community and we will continue this great momentum so that customers enjoy additional benefits as each element of the project is completed.”
As MTA officials and New York politicians gathered yesterday to celebrate the reopening, the station though remains dominated by blue construction walls. The southbound side is now fully encased behind blue construction walls, and what will eventually be the Dey St. Connector to the rest of the Fulton St. complex will not open until 2012. Still, politicians praised the gradual debut of pieces of the new Fulton St. Transit Center.
“Today’s reopening of the uptown platform of the Cortlandt Street subway station is another step toward repairing the damage inflicted by the September 11th terrorist attacks,” Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. “Projects like the Dey Street passageway, which the Cortlandt Street subway station was closed to make way for, are making Lower Manhattan an even more attractive place to live and work, and will draw families and businesses in the process.”
With renderings of the Dey St. passageway and eventual Fulton St. hub decorating the station, the Cortland St. platform is a welcome readdition to the Lower Manhattan transit picture. Slowly, slowly, progress builds apace.
Click through for a slideshow from the new station. Read More→
Nov
25
Northbound Cortlandt St. platform reopens today
Posted by: | CommentsAt 2 p.m. this afternoon, MTA officials and New York politicians were gather at Cortlandt St. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening of the northbound Cortland St. platform. For the first time since August 2005, Queens-bound R/W trains on the BMT Broadway line will stop at the Cortlandt St. station. Unfortunately, due to prior plans, I won’t be able to make the ceremony at which MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Senator Dan Squadron, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Councilman Alan Gerson will appear. I do, however, hope to snap some pictures of the renovated station later today. The southbound platform will remain closed until at least early 2011.
Nov
05
Cortlandt St. nearly ready
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Wet Paint signs portend an impending opening. (Photo by Matthew Denker)
Last night, on my way back to Brooklyn via an N local train, we slowly rolled past Cortlandt St., and I noted how the station no longer resembled a construction site. At least on the northbound platform, everything is nearly in place. The turnstiles and fences have been installed; the MetroCard Vending Machines are in place; the token booth is back.
According to MTA documents, the northbound platform itself will reopen in December, but the Dey St. connector won’t open until 2012. This morning, Matthew Denker sent me the above photo, and although wooden fencing still blocks the new staircase, the construction sheds no longer cover the station entrance. Transit is clearly gearing up for a reopening.
Shuttered since 2005 and a short walk from both the Rector St. and City Hall stops along the BMT Broadway line, the four-year absence of this station hasn’t been as bad for the area as it could have been. Lower Manhattan workers and residents and Century 21 shoppers, though, will be happy to see it reopen. I wonder, ifthe Dey St. passageway and the out-of-system connection to the Fulton St. subways will be featured on the sign in two or three years. Slowly, slowly, the pieces of the Fulton St. Hub are opening up.
