BY ZACH WILLIAMS | Tribeca residents accustomed since 2010 to the noise and inconveniences of ongoing construction on Hudson St. may get some relief sooner rather than later.
The Hudson Street Project — which includes work on N. Moore and Franklin St. — will finish by next year ahead of an original 2016 deadline, according to the N.Y.C. Department of Design and Construction which oversees the effort. As traffic congestion caused by the $59.5 million project begins to ease, plans are underway for a separate undertaking on Worth St. which will also seek to update antiquated water mains in order to keep municipal infrastructure apace with the growing Tribeca community.
Shah Jaromi, who oversees construction in Lower Manhattan for the department, explained the difficulty of updating water mains that can dip hundreds of feet into Lower Manhattan bedrock past “interferences” such as electrical, sewer and telecommunications lines,
“Production can be as low as 10 feet per day,” he said as an example of the tediousness of the work during a presentation at the March 12 meeting of the C.B.1 Tribeca Committee
Installation of water mains, a 10-inch sewer line and “continuing capital and utility work” on Hudson St. between Leonard and Worth Sts. is expected to finish by the end of April, one of several examples of progress made, despite such obstacles, cited during the presentation.
He said the N.Y.P.D. has been asked to assist in an effort to minimize as much as possible additional traffic disruptions such as those caused by delivery trucks operating in an area already prone to serious congestion.
“All of a sudden you see two lanes become one lane,” he said of the situation arising from double-parked Federal Express and U.P.S. trucks.
Work though remains to be done, and delays can arise unexpectedly even as the project enters its final stages, department representatives have emphasized.
Excavations on the eastern side of the intersection of Hudson and Franklin Sts. were completed last month. The reopening of through traffic at the intersection followed the installment of temporary pavement over the new water main, utility pipes and other structures there. Spring will bring further progress as work on the east side of Hudson St. between N. Moore and Worth Sts. should conclude by May.
Construction on the west side of Hudson St. as well as the intersection of Hudson and N. Moore Sts. meanwhile will finish by September. The final cobblestone restoration on the latter is planned for October.
The project is part of a broader undertaking by the city to update the water system in Lower Manhattan, including on Chambers St. where a four-year rehabilitation costing in excess of $24 million will likely finish this fall. At that time, the city will have more details about the expected Worth St. project, Jaromi said.
Electrical lines running underground in the area from a telecommunications building at 60 Hudson St. led one participant at the meeting to express concern to Jaromi that this next project could become entangled by unforeseen difficulties and delays.
Jaromi responded by noting that it is still too early to accurately comment on how construction conditions on Worth St. would disrupt the daily flow of life for residents. He added that he will return in the autumn to update the committee on the matter.
“It’s going through it’s final design stage,” he said of the current status of the Worth St. project.
