February 2011

Milestones Keep WTC Transportation Hub on Track
The three new towers are not the only construction sites making good progress in the World Trade Center (WTC) east bathtub. The WTC Transportation Hub, designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, also has reached several milestones this winter, with more than 2,800 tons of permanent steel now erected in the station. Read more »

WTC Memorial Visitors to Use Reservation System
Construction is on pace for the 10th-anniversary opening, and this week came the first announcement about visitor access to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Addressing Community Board 1's World Trade Center committee this week, Memorial President Joe Daniels said starting September 12, 2011, visitors will be able to reserve free tickets in blocks of time, then be escorted in groups onto the plaza via dedicated walkways. Read more »

March 2011

Demolition Work Slated to Begin at 180 Broadway
A new, 24-story Pace University dormitory is planned for 180 Broadway, at the southeast corner of Broadway and John Street. With sidewalk sheds now in place around the work site, contractor Waldorf Demolition will begin deconstructing the three existing low-rise buildings through approximately July 2011. Excavation and foundation construction is expected to follow through October, when contractor Tishman Construction will proceed with superstructure erection. Read more »

May 2011

Officials Meet at WTC Following Bin Laden Death
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, and other local officials gathered at the World Trade Center (WTC) site to discuss the death of Osama bin Laden, and the future of WTC rebuilding. Read more »

City Launches Program to Speed Building Permits
Yesterday the city launched the “Get It Done” pilot program to expedite city agency approval on construction projects. The new program aims to spur economic growth by accelerating the building permit process, which often requires approvals from multiple government agencies, making the process “complex and burdensome,” according to the city's announcement. Read more »

June 2011

World Financial Center Pavilion Plans Unveiled
Brookfield Properties unveiled plans for a $250 million overhaul of the World Financial Center (WFC) in Battery Park City last week. The plan includes construction of a new West Street glass pavilion, to serve as the entry house for the Port Authority's "east-west connector." That connector will, in 2013, form an underground pedestrian link between the World Trade Center (WTC) and WFC. Read more »

July 2011

Fiterman Hall Brick Facade Done, Windows Going Up
Construction of the new Fiterman Hall at 30 West Broadway is making good progress, with the 15-story building's brick facade now complete, and windows being installed on its western (Greenwich Street) side. The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) building has been under construction since January 2010, replacing the original Fiterman Hall that was badly damaged on 9/11. In addition to facade work, crews also are installing building mechanicals on the roof, and completing interior fit-out throughout the next year. It is on track to open to BMCC students approximately late summer 2012. Read more »

East River Waterfront Pilot Section Opens
The first section of the new East River Waterfront opened yesterday, bringing a landscaped esplanade, seating and lounge chairs, game tables, and dog park to the downtown community. Part of a $165 million project, the segment is the first to revitalize a two-mile stretch of waterfront land from the tip of Lower Manhattan, to East River Park north of the Manhattan Bridge. Read more »

Collect Pond Park Renovation Ready to Launch
One of the Civic Center area's central parks is scheduled for a facelift starting next month. Collect Pond Park, located between Centre and Lafayette, and Leonard and Franklin Streets, is on track for full reconstruction by the city Department of Parks & Recreation. The yearlong project will transform the dilapidated concrete plaza into a green park, complete with new landscaping, benches, tables and chairs, lighting, bicycle racks, water supply and irrigation, and a reconstructed storm drainage system.

Through a new water feature and design details, the rebuilt park will hark back to the site's history, when Collect Pond served as a source of drinking water until the city drained it in 1805 (by digging a channel to the river that eventually formed Canal Street). Parks Department crews will incorporate the adjacent parking lot into the Collect Pond Park site, using the increased acreage to form a central pond. When the rebuilt park opens in late 2012, the pond will be surrounded by trees and flowers, wave-patterned pavers, interactive water spray feature for children, and a bridge crossing over it. Read more »

New Fulton Transit Entrance Marks Major Milestone
The August 1st opening of the new Fulton Street Transit Center entrance at 135 William Street marked a significant achievement on the stations path to completion. Now six years into construction, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already completed several project phases, but the new entrance is one of the largest pieces of the puzzle to open to the public so far. Read more »