Con Ed is performing both gas and electrical work on the street

Two towers, vital utility upgrades, and part of a major downtown transit hub all are under construction on John Street between Broadway and Nassau. Because they are all taking place on a single block, they seem like a compact version of the much larger rebuilding renaissance that has swept Lower Manhattan since 9/11 -- and has made it one of the city’s most appealing and vibrant areas.

And just like the extensive coordination needed for the nearly 100 public and private projects south of Canal Street since 2001, John Street’s construction managers, local residents, business owners, and city agencies continue to work closely to get the work done efficiently, safely, and with minimized disruption.

To that end, this week Community Board 1 (CB1) and the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC) gathered the full slate of stakeholders to review each project’s current schedules, and address issues about John Street’s future.

The two biggest projects also are the most prominent in terms of size and location. At 180 Broadway, located at the southeast corner of John Street, contractor Tishman Construction is currently erecting the ninth story of a new 24-story Pace University dormitory. Construction managers reported that the superstructure should top out next month (weather permitting), with a solid-wall “cocoon” safety system being installed on March 10th, to enclose the upper three floors as the tower rises.

The new dorm’s brick façade and windows will be installed through this summer, and its lower four stories will be wrapped in glass panels by early fall. By October, the building’s hoist should come down. The occupied lanes and sidewalk on Broadway should be reopened by the end of 2012. Construction crews are permitted to work weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with occasional 6 a.m. material deliveries, and non-noisy evening work.

Across John Street is the MTA’s Corbin Building restoration project, which is rehabilitating the 1888, nine-story landmarked building, and incorporating it into the new Fulton Street Transit Center. MTA construction managers said the building’s exterior cleaning is now complete, with final painting and terra cotta and cast-iron repair work remaining. At street level, the building will house new escalators down to the renovated 4/5 subway platform, while the upper interior is being renovated as office space and tied into the new Transit Center building on its north side.

The Corbin Building’s new escalators are expected to open this November, with the entire rehab complete and John Street sidewalk returned in mid-to-late December 2012. Like 180 Broadway, the ground level of the Corbin Building will be home to new retail space.

At 24 John Street, located just west of Nassau Street, construction of a new 21-story independent hotel is being built atop a former six-story office building. Project managers reported that steel erection will continue through August, with crews working 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with deliveries closing John Street intermittently on weekdays (as permitted by the city Department of Transportation) to ensure pedestrians’ and motorists’ safety. The future four-star hotel will house 90 rooms, and feature a restaurant at ground level. It’s slated to open in the third quarter of 2013.

There also are two utility projects taking place concurrently on John Street. One is the emergency replacement of a decades-old gas main by Con Edison, which now is in the final few weeks of work replacing the old cast-iron pipe with a new duct, and tying it into each building on the block. The DOT is allowing Con Ed to perform the work during weekday and evening hours until 9 p.m. Electrical conduits also are being installed for new buildings on the block at the same time, which will reduce future John Street roadway closures.

Meanwhile, on Nassau at John Street, the intersection is being rebuilt as part of the city’s capital reconstruction of John Street. Crews for the city Department of Design and Construction (DDC) are working in quadrants of the intersection (currently in the northeast quadrant) every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with occasional Sunday work as needed. Reconstruction of the entire block of Nassau from John to Fulton Street -- part of the DDC’s Fulton Phase 3 utility project -- continues through September 2012.

The LMCCC remains central to the coordination of the various John Street projects, with street and sidewalk closures, crane lifts, and other major construction operations expected to continue through 2012. The agency also will continue to monitor air and noise in the area, and work with the DOT, DDC, NYPD, Dept. of Buildings, Dept. of Environmental Protection, and other stakeholders to help mitigate construction and traffic impacts.

Notifications and project updates will be posted on LowerManhattan.info, and through CB1, DDC, and Downtown Alliance e-mails as they are announced.

Click here to subscribe to LMCCC email alerts.

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