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The reconstruction of Fulton Street is on pace for a 2012 completion
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The five-year reconstruction of Fulton Street is on pace for a 2012 completion, according to city officials. Representatives from the city Department of Design and Construction and Economic Development Corporation told Community Board 1’s (CB1) Civic Center Committee in March that the first phase of work to renovate the heavily trafficked downtown corridor is now more than 60 percent complete.
As part of Phase I, crews have installed more than 3,900 linear feet of water main between Fulton and Gold Streets, with about 1,110 linear feet more to go, along with five new catch basins. Also, while the roadway between William and Dutch Streets is closed and excavated for utility work, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is installing a new mezzanine elevator for the Fulton Street Transit Center. Phase I is expected to conclude in early summer.
The second phase of work is underway since early February. It continues Fulton’s water-main installation -- along with new sewer mains, catch basins, and utility ducts -- westward to South Street and on the block between Broadway and Church Street.
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| Work on Pearl Street is to begin this summer |
In addition to utility upgrades, the $28 million Phase II work will rebuild Fulton sidewalks with 102,000 square feet of pigmented pavement and 7,500 feet of granite curbs, and bring new street lights and traffic signals. Sections of ancillary streets like Nassau and Gold will be included in this phase, which continues through the first quarter of 2012.
Meanwhile, outreach has begun for the “Fulton Street Crossroads” project. This revitalization plan will beautify storefronts and building façades on the corridor and on Nassau Street through a three-tiered grant program. Depending on what improvements building owners intend to make, the program will cover all or part of their expenses to replace signs, security gates, brick work, and other cosmetic features. Design costs are fully covered under the program, since they must adhere to guidelines that will establish a more consistent look for shops that voluntarily participate.
Several parks along Fulton Street also will be improved through Lower Manhattan Development Corporation funding. The city Parks and Recreation Department will break ground at Burling Slip next month, transforming the existing parking lot to an innovative new park designed to resemble a ship. Titanic Park, at the western edge of the South Street Seaport, will undergo a nine-month redevelopment starting in June.
The city will complete a more extensive revamp of DeLury Square Park. Having purchased land from Southbridge Towers, the city will reconfigure the Fulton and Gold intersection -- eliminating the dedicated turn lane to make it standard square intersection. The extra space allows for a larger green space comprised of more trees, benches, a small lawn, and a water feature. That work will take place from mid-May 2009 through first quarter 2010.
The much-needed expansion of the Pearl Street Playground, at Water Street, will permanently close Little Pearl Street to build a much larger play area and plant trees and other foliage. Work there is planned to begin this summer and continue for one year.
Throughout the Fulton Street Corridor reconstruction project, the city plans to maintain pedestrian access, post TEAs, control rodents, and conduct noise monitoring. The city also is collaborating with the Downtown Alliance to beautify the construction sites through the Re:Construction project.
The project’s community construction liaison, Elizabeth Baptiste, will continue to manage notifications, share project updates, and answer questions. She is available by calling 217-1135 or via e-mail at liz.baptiste@gmail.com.
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