Grand Street west of Bowery has been a construction zone for the last couple of years, as crews worked to install distribution pipes for New York City’s new water Tunnel No. 3. Beginning later this summer and continuing for three years, the next phase of the project will shift to Grand Street between Bowery and Essex streets.
Last week, officials with the city’s Department of Design & Construction went before Community Board 3’s transportation Committee to offer a preview.
As you may know, construction of the water tunnel has spanned 40 years and, at $6 billion, is the largest capital project in New York history. The project has been focused on the portion of Grand Street going through Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown since 2011.
In the next few weeks, contractors will be doing surveys on the Lower East Side and cleaning out sewers in preparation for the installation project. By mid-August, overnight work (9 p.m.-6 a.m.) between Bowery and Forsyth streets will be in full swing. Daytime work (7 a.m.-10 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m.-10 p.m. weekends) is expected to begin in mid-November. Other things to know:
- Traffic patterns will be impacted. Eastbound traffic will be allowed between Essex and Chrystie, but westbound traffic will be prohibited.
- Some MTA bus stops might need to be moved.
- A good deal of equipment will be stored along the construction route, as well as inside a city yard on Lafayette Street and in a lot at Columbia and Delancey streets.
- Deliveries to local businesses could be impacted; the city will deal with those issues on a case by case basis. It’s possible some dedicated loading zones on nearby side streets will be created.
- The city will provide 72 hours advance notice when water service must be interrupted.
- The contractors have brought on a rodent control expert to deal with any problems that arise from construction.
- Nikita Sin, who works for contractor JED Engineering, has been assigned to handle community outreach. She can be emailed at: grandstccl@gmail.com.
The project is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2017. You can start your countdown!
what a mess.