Untangling History

Fulton Street Transit Center Reconstruction to Unify a Century of Subway Construction

by Jason Feldman

As the new Lower Manhattan rises to replace the devastation wrought by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, so does the new Fulton Street Transit Center.

And although it may seem that the project is a response to create a new and better Lower Manhattan in the aftermath of the attacks, the old Fulton complex's days were numbered before Sept. 11. A century's worth of subway construction by three different entities left it in big need of reconstruction.

"Right before Sept. 11, we had just finished a study of turning it into a real complex," said Bill Wheeler, director of special project development and planning for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority/New York City Transit. "When Sept. 11 happened, this came right up to the top of the list, so it was a tragic coincidence."

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David Palmer, principal and design director, of New York-based Arup, the lead design firm on the project, said many problems arise in the old collection of stations because they were designed by competing entities and were never designed to be connected as they were.

What resulted was a patchwork of tunnels, ramps and small entrances that have confused passengers and have rendered the station hard to use, especially for transfers between the 4, 5 and the A, C lines.

"There are 275,000 movements a day in the facility and a series of confusing ramps, and it is a common place to get lost," Wheeler said. "The transfer itself is very narrow where the mezzanine meets the northbound [4, 5] line."

This narrow transfer point results in a crush of commuters jamming the first two cars of the train, which causes delays while the trains accommodate the passengers, he added.

Uday Durg, the MTA/NYCT program manager for the Fulton Street Transit Center, said there's another problem because "the street entrances are close to storefronts so passengers cannot really see them. They are dark and narrow."

All of that will begin to change in December when construction will begin on the $750 million Fulton Street Transit Center.

The stations that make up the transit center will begin to be renovated and the confusing transfer points will be remade to allow a smoother flow of passengers.

In addition, connections to the permanent PATH station, which was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, will be established under Dey Street. The underground tunnel, which will be design-built along Dey Street, will run approximately 400 ft. and it will be 40 ft. wide by 18 ft. high. The Dey Street connection will also connect to the R, W, 1, 9 and E trains.

Retail will not be considered for the tunnel because the MTA says it will need all of the space for passenger traffic. "One enhancement that will be considered is the addition of moving sidewalks," Wheeler said.

The centerpiece of the new station will be a new grand entrance that will be established east of Broadway between Fulton and John streets. "It will be a focal point that is unique and enhance civic space as well as the life of Lower Manhattan," Durg said.

The new 110-ft.-tall building will include an oculus, or a round window, that will make up the roof and will allow light to penetrate into the station and its concourse.

"There is a movement all over the world to bring more natural light into subway stations," Palmer said.

With the Fulton Street Transit Center, NYCT will also have a major street presence, which is rare, Wheeler said. "We have had two similar projects before, one is Times Square and the other is the Atlantic Terminal project in Brooklyn," he added.

Another piece of the project is the restoration of the Corbin Building, which was constructed in the 1880s and is a historic landmark. "The Corbin Building will be preserved and tied into the permanent project," said Ray Finnegan, project director for the Fulton Street Transportation Center, Parsons Brinckerhoff. "It's a very exciting part of the job."

A joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff and Bovis Lend Lease, both of New York, N.Y., will serve as construction managers on the project.

"We decided a good approach was to use our infrastructure talents and the building talents of Bovis Lend Lease," Finnegan said.

In addition, Finnegan said that the work will not impede rush hour and will be as environmentally friendly as possible through the use of low-sulfur fuels. He added that it also will adhere to the city's new noise code.

Part of the restoration will include preserving the arches that make up the first floor, Wheeler said. "We will also preserve and put into public view the foundation of the Corbin Building, which is made up of a series of jack arches," he added.

Currently, the Fulton Street Transit Center is in a pre-engineering phase that will be completed by December, Durg said. Then the project will move into final design and construction.

"We will have seven contract packages that will be staggered from December to March," Durg added. Construction is expected to be completed in December 2007.