Progress underway on many transportation projects

Part of the process of revitalizing Lower Manhattan involves upgrading the downtown transportation system, a network of antiquated and damaged roads and subway lines that require investment and speedy repair.

After the attacks on September 11, 2001, state and city agencies, with the input and creative vision of world-acclaimed architects, set out to make investments in public infrastructure that will improve transportation downtown and lay the foundation for the community's future growth. 

Lower Manhattan's transportation system will need to accommodate a range of changes in the neighborhood such as the creation of a memorial that will attract at least 5 million visitors a year, the transformation of the World Trade Center site, and the broader conversion of Lower Manhattan into a 24-hour district bustling with new cultural institutions and public spaces.

Today, a variety of transportation projects are now officially underway, from creating a transportation hub at the WTC site to renovating downtown subway stations. Among other transportation projects currently in progress, there are these four critical priorities: 

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

The light-filled World Trade Center Transportation Hub will have a retractable roof

The $2 billion project will sit at the northeast corner of the site at Church and Vesey Streets and is expected to form an underground connection between the World Financial Center and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's proposed Fulton Street Transit Center. The hub will offer pedestrians access to Hudson River ferry terminals, PATH trains, 14 subway lines, and, possibly, a direct rail link to JFK International Airport.

Calatrava said that he based his design for the hub -- which will have a retractable ceiling to bring an even greater sense of open air and natural light to the station's concourse, mezzanine, and platform levels -- on the image of a child, hands outstretched, setting a bird free.

"The building is built with steel, glass, and light," Calatrava said. "They will all be equal building materials. The station appears transparent and also guards you with its wings."

The hub's first phase of construction involves building a permanent WTC PATH terminal, slated for completion in late 2006. The hub, in its entirety, is expected to open by 2009.

Fulton Street Transit Center

The Fulton Street Transit Center will service 10 subway lines

The new layout is the product of many months of research by the MTA design team, led by international architecture firm Grimshaw. The $750 million design calls for a glass-over-steel cone-shaped main entrance, which permits light to bounce between panes of glass and refract down two levels below the street. Tentative plans for the space include retail shops and perhaps even restaurants or public balconies.

Most importantly for commuters, the new design opens up corridors between subway lines that will eliminate platform crowding, especially along the 4/5 line, and reduce train congestion.

Construction on the new station could begin as soon as later this year, with the station's grand opening scheduled for 2007.

"We want this to be a destination," said Mysore Nagaraja, P.E., president of MTA Capital Construction. "After 2007 people are going to be saying, 'Meet me at the Fulton Transit Center.'"

Airport Link Options to JFK

Four options under review for airport access

The proposed link would use a new tunnel across the East River to connect Lower Manhattan with the Long Island Rail Road system and portions of Brooklyn and Queens. In addition to creating a one-seat ride to JFK, the new rail link would reduce commuting time and increase convenience for tens of thousands of Long Island commuters, many of whom must now take one or two trains and then transfer to a subway in order to reach their downtown jobs.

The rail link project is estimated to cost up to $6 billion. With $560 million already committed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), the additional $2 billion in converted tax benefits would leave the city and state officials well positioned to raise remaining funds from other sources.

Thanks to the combined efforts on the part of the city and state, along with unified support from the Lower Manhattan business community, the proposal received the endorsement it needed from President Bush to go on to Congress.

"Now it is up to Congress and our state's Congressional delegation to ensure this proposal becomes law," said Gov. Pataki in a statement. "I look forward to working with them to make the rail link a reality."

South Ferry Subway Station

South Ferry renovation to begin this fall

Newsday reported that the $400-million makeover will increase capacity by adding two tracks to the one-track station, allowing doors on 10 cars to open for exiting passengers. The changes, scheduled for completion by 2007, should cut the 21-minute travel time from Penn Station to Lower Manhattan to 11 minutes.

As part of the project, another $15 million will go toward improving Battery Park, including expanding bicycle paths and a reconstructed playground.

"A beautiful new subway terminal will help make the Battery a premier destination for residents and visitors to New York City," said City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, according to Newsday.