 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Street Project to Close Fulton for 2 Years
At a public meeting at Southbridge Towers last month, nearly 50 local residents and business owners heard city officials explain the work that eventually will beautify the area. They also learned of street closures and noisy excavation work along Fulton Street, where a 150-year-old water main will be replaced, and aging utility services may also need to be relocated or replaced. The streets will remain open to pedestrians, emergency vehicles and essential delivery trucks. “We have a lot of great things coming on Fulton Street,” said Josh Wallack, of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC). “It will be a challenging time for all of us, but we hope it’ll go as smoothly as possible.” Next spring, Nassau Street will also be closed between Maiden Lane and Spruce Streets as the second phase of work gets under way on the surrounding area. The project—jointly overseen by the EDC, and the Departments of Transportation, City Planning and Design and Construction—is funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. Fulton Street, to traverse the World Trade Center site, will be the only through connection between Battery Park City and the South Street Seaport. The street project includes: • Complete reconstruction of Fulton Street, between Church and Gold, and reconstruction of Nassau Street between Maiden Lane and Spruce Street • Streetscape improvements, including new trees, plantings, street furniture, granite curbs, tinted sidewalks and street lighting, on Fulton and Nassau, as well as parts of William, Gold, Cliff, John and Pearl Streets • New awnings, signage and windows for stores • Creation of a children’s park at Burling Slip and another park at DeLury Square • Enhancement of existing open spaces at Pearl Street Playground and Titanic Park • Removal of a 150-year-old water main beneath Fulton and Nassau Streets and installation of a new water main • Upgrades to other utilities (electricity, gas, fiber optics, etc.) beneath street level The work will take place from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. There may also be temporary water shut-downs during the night. To help ease traffic congestion, planners are considering reversing the flow of traffic on Spruce and Platt Streets to improve westbound movement. New on-street parking restrictions will also be imposed. While most residents at last month’s meeting welcomed the investment in the area, particularly the creation of the new parks, they expressed concern over the possible re-routing of school buses, access for deliveries and 7 a.m. jack-hammering. They also foresee an increase in confused drivers attempting to find their way around the work areas. “Traffic’s just going to be circling around,” said Mark Goldsmith, a local resident. “You don’t want angry people driving around when you’re trying to cross the streets with your kids.” Meanwhile, some store-owners fear pedestrians will take an alternative route to avoid the noisy work areas—and take their business with them. “If they see the construction, they won’t want to walk down the street,” said Louis Herrera, a partner in a shoe repair store on Fulton Street, which relies on foot traffic. “It’ll be bad for small businesses, but we'll try to do the best we can. We can do nothing else.”
[Home][Back][Search][Contact] The Tribeca Trib · 401 Broadway, 5th Floor · New York, NY · 10013 · 212.219.9709 |
