The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and MTA Capital Construction hosted a press conference on February 11th. The well attended event celebrated the launch of a new campaign: “Shop Second Avenue...It’s Worth It!"
The campaign intends to affirm that Second Avenue’s shops, restaurants and neighborhood businesses are open for business during the construction of the Second Avenue subway.
As part of the marketing campaign, a Shop Second Avenue MetroCard will be released in April. The card will be available in all Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 stations from 51st Street to 103rd Street, as well as in the N/Q/R Line stations located at Lexington Avenue/59th Street and 5th Avenue/59th Street and the Lexington Avenue/63rd Street F Line Station.
Promotional Shop Second Avenue signage will also be introduced in subway stations and bus lines to promote the Second Avenue corridor as a shopping and dining destination.
A more detailed report of this event can be found in the posting "Beautifying a construction site along Second Ave." on the blog 2nd Ave. Sagas.
A few images from the press conference follow:
2/11/11
Nancy Ploeger, president, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; Jeffrey Bernstein, chair, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce; Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction; Assembly Member Jonathan L. Bing, and Council Member Dan Garodnick.
2/11/11
2/11/11
As part of the campaign, MTA Capital Construction unveiled its so-called "model block” concept on Second Avenue between East 92nd and 93rd streets.
The prototype block portrays an environment with fence wrapping; new and improved fencing and repainted barriers; safety improvements to sight lines for pedestrians and vehicles; a large Shop Second Avenue advertisement on the muck conveyor structure; and on each corner, pedestrian way-finding signage that lists the businesses located on the block.
2/11/11
East 92nd, NE corner - looking W
Council Member Dan Garodnick (on the left) listens as MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu explains the new way-finding signage.
2/11/11
btw. 92nd and 93rd streets - looking E
MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu holds an impromptu press conference of his own in front of the muck tower to answer reporters' questions.
2/11/11
92nd, NE corner - looking W
In this image you can see the roadway delineators, made by the company Flexstake, that have been set up to separate the roadway from the pedestrian path through the work zone at 92nd Street.
2/11/11
This is a closeup shot of the mesh fence wrapping that is being used in the model block.
2/11/11
93rd Street, SE corner - looking W
2/11/11
93rd Street - looking SE
::
After the press conference, I took a walk down Second Avenue, starting at 101st Street, to have a look at the various work sites. Here is what I observed --
2/11/11
99th Street - looking S
The contractor at this location is continuing to relocate utilities on the west side of Second Avenue.
2/11/11
btw. 97th and 99th streets - looking E
A nice example of the maze of utility lines that must be relocated in this area under Second Avenue.
2/11/11
97th Street, NE corner - looking SW
A view from across Second Avenue of the site of the former Century Lumber yard. This site will eventually be transformed into Ancillary Building No. 2 for the 96th Street station.
The large, yellow mobile drilling rig shown in this image is being used to install secant piles at this location.
2/11/11
97th Street, just west of 2nd Ave - looking E
A different view of the same site.
2/11/11
The workers in the image are lowering a tremie pipe, with a funnel on the top, into a hole. Wet concrete will soon be poured into the funnel to fill part of the secant pile that is under construction.
2/11/11
The worker in this image is performing various tests on the wet concrete to confirm its consistency.
2/11/11
just N of 96th Street - looking S
More utility relocation work.
btw. 91st & 92nd streets - looking W
The ground freeze process continues at this location on Second Avenue - in preparation for the start of TBM Run No. 2 (the east tunnel).
2/11/11
84th Street, NE corner - looking S
Material is delivered to the work site.
2/11/11
83rd Street, SW corner - looking N
A pedestrian's view of the maze of fencing in this area.
2/11/11
73rd Street - looking S
The access shaft near 72nd Street can be seen, if you look carefully, in the distance. (It's in front of the mobile crane.) Dust, visible in this image and the image below, was billowing out of the shaft when I took these images.
2/11/11
A closeup shot, with the dust clearly in view now.
2/11/11
259 E 72nd Street
This sign was posted in the window of Falk Surgical Supply. They have had to move so that their building can be taken down to make room for an entrance and ancillary building for the 72nd Street station.
2/11/11
259 E 72nd Street, NW corner
A view of the inside of the former Falk Surgical Supply shop.
::
In other news:
- Community Board 8's Second Avenue Subway Task Force met this past Tuesday evening. The MTA's presentation at this meeting can be found on this link:
Construction Update - 2/15/11
- The bids for the 86th Street station cavern contract (Ref: Contract C-26008) were opened on Februrary 4th. The MTA has announced that they are reviewing the bids and they expect to award the contract in April or May. Details of the bidding will be provided on the blog as soon as they are posted on the MTA Bid Results web page.
- The owner and tenants association of Yorkshire Towers, a rental apartment building at 315 East 86th Street, have filed a civil lawsuit against the DOT, FTA, and MTA to block the planned construction of station entrances on the north side of 86th Street in front of their building. A copy of the complaint can be found below.
For further reading I suggest having a look at Ben Kabak's report on the case on his blog 2nd Ave. Sagas.
Yorkshire Towers Co. L.P. v. US DOT et al ::::: Here's a listing of the recent additions to the right-hand column of The Launch Box Technical Memorandum No. 7: 72nd Street Station Entrance and Ancillary Facility Federal Transit Administration, DOT 12/15/10 "MTA Steps Up Efforts to Help Struggling Second Avenue Shops" By Amy Zimmer DNA.info - 2/11/11 "MTA Helps Launch Campaign To Help 2nd Ave Businesses" (0:58) NY1 - 2/12/11 Beautifying a construction site along Second Ave. 2nd Ave. Sagas - 2/14/11 By Benjamin Kabak "Upper East Side Building Sues MTA Over Planned Subway Entrances" By Amy Zimmer DNA.info - 2/16/11 Residents on 86th file suit over entrances, again 2nd Ave. Sagas - 2/18/11
By Benjamin Kabak
