New York Construction Report staff writer
A ribbon cutting was held recently for a $231 million of upgrades to Manhattan’s water distribution system, as well as safety improvements along one of Midtown’s major corridors.
The infrastructure project included a street redesign along with 14 miles of new water mains and sewers replacing many installed more than a century ago.
“This massive undertaking is much more than meets the eye and installed 48-inch steel trunk mains through some of the most crowded parts of Manhattan while connecting neighborhoods to DEP’s new Third Water Tunnel,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley.
“DDC’s in-house design team did a remarkable job here so that water supply improvements and street redesign could come together in one comprehensive rebuild of the area’s infrastructure.”
“The new ‘super sidewalks’ of Ninth Avenue build on a key ingredient for economic recovery in Midtown: creation of great, safe spaces for people to walk and bike and patronize local businesses,” said Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu. “Hats off to our city agencies for delivering these critical infrastructure upgrades above and below our city streets.”
The project began as a major water main project by DEP and DDC that from 2012 to 2017 made connections at four Manhattan sites to the City’s Third Water Tunnel. At the conclusion of that work, DEP added to the project more major water main work along 9th Avenue in the 50s.
DOT then seized on that opportunity to complete with DDC a full roadway reconstruction and street redesign that provides a host of benefits to the corridor, including the installation of expanded sidewalks that reduce pedestrian congestion and shorten pedestrian crossings; updated intersection treatments for cyclists; and new commercial loading zones.
