Award of Merit - Rehabilitation

Reconstruction of North Mohawk Street

The reconstruction of North Mohawk Street in Cohoes, N.Y., wasn't just a construction project. It was a catalyst for economic development.

"It was a spark that helped to turn around a declining city," said one judge.

The $10.3 million project involved reconstruction of 1.6 mi. of North Mohawk Street, an urban corridor within the Harmony Mills Historic District and on the National Register of Historic Places. The city has designated the district for economic revitalization.

The project scope was broad, involving pedestrian and vehicular improvements, creation of parks, and numerous aesthetic improvements. "It was a full renovation of that whole waterfront area - every element of that streetscape," said one judge.

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The project team designed pedestrian and vehicular safety improvements to address dangerous conditions caused by narrow travel lanes and lack of sidewalks. Reconstruction work included creating 5-ft. sidewalks compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities act, access ramps, and high-visibility crosswalks. It also relocated overhead cable, telephone, and electric facilities away from the historic corridor, while adding trees, shrubs, tree grates, and benches.

Other work entailed installing colored and stamped concrete between the curb and sidewalk to simulate historic brick patterns. The team also opened safe access to the scenic Cohoes Falls overlook and the Mohawk River, and relocated and redesigned a veterans memorial using etched granite plaques and canal stone.

The project team restored Canal Park by turning the abandoned canal into an interpretive pedestrian area. That task entailed restoring the existing stone canal wall and cap, as well as adding sidewalk imprints to replicate an historic cobblestone canal path. It also involved constructing a new retaining wall with architectural facing to replicate stone canal walls. The project work also led to the rediscovery of an intact foundation for Lock 37, part of the Erie Canal dating to 1832.