By Sam Schwartz
Dear Transit Sam,
There is often severe traffic congestion on William St. where South William St., Hanover Square and Beaver St. feed into it. The situation is exacerbated by events held at Cipriani’s on Wall St., construction and deliveries on William St. near Exchange Pl., among other reasons. I have contacted the local precinct and 311 at various times, but have not noticed an improvement. What else can be done to relieve the congestion, and in turn, relieve the situation of idling cars and noise pollution (honking horns) that result?
Eileen, Financial District
Dear Eileen,
I’ve reached out to the N.Y.P.D. and Dept. of Transportation and they say they’ll increase enforcement of both noise and idling ordinances. But, Eileen, this area is beset with a myriad traffic bottlenecks. The extra security for the New York Stock Exchange leads to checkpoints in the area bounded by Pine St. to the north, William St. to the east, Beaver St. to the south and Broadway to the west. In addition, there are several construction jobs in the area impeding traffic flow. The good news is that construction on Wall St. between Nassau and William Sts. should wrap up by summer’s end followed by completion of work on Maiden Lane/Liberty St. by the end of the year. But, in Lower Manhattan it seems the work never stops.
Transit Sam
Dear Transit Sam,
I need to access the World Financial Center and I’ve been hearing that Vesey St. in the area is being converted to a one-way street. How does this affect me? What’s the reason for the closure and how long will it last?
Will, Financial District
Dear Will,
Vesey St. between North End Ave. and West St. was made one way eastbound (towards West St.) on Monday. This means you can’t make a right onto Vesey St. from West St. southbound. You’ll have to use Murray St. to North End Ave. to access the block. The reason for the change is to facilitate the construction of new sidewalks and portions of roadway in anticipation of the opening of Goldman Sachs. I’m told the street will be returned to two-way operation no later than February 2010.
For bus riders, the M.T.A. and Downtown Connection stops on the south side of Vesey St. have been located closer to North End Ave. with the Chambers St. bound Downtown Connection bus being re-routed to Murray St.
Transit Sam
Sam Schwartz, a former first deputy commissioner of city transportation, is president and C.E.O. of Sam Schwartz Engineering, a traffic engineering consulting firm to private and public entities including the Port Authority at the World Trade Center site. Have a question or concern for Transit Sam? Email transitsam@downtownexpress.com for all your transportation needs.
