Times Square Reconstruction
We provided civil engineering and protective design services to SNØHETTA and the NYCDOT on this highly visible, multi-phased renovation.
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Project Details
Breathing New Life into The Crossroads of the World
Stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Street, Times Square is among the top tourist destinations in New York City. It is also one of the most highly trafficked areas in Manhattan with a daily-estimated 380,000 pedestrians, 180,000 employees working in Times Square and 115,000 passing through by car, bus or bike. True to its “city that never sleeps” moniker, even an estimated 85,000 pedestrians visit Times Square in the evening.
As a result, the New York City Department of Transportation implemented the 2009 Green Light For Midtown project designed to improve travel times and pedestrian safety along Broadway. We provided civil engineering and protective design services to Snøhetta and the NYCDOT on this highly visible, multi-phased renovation which developed 2.5 acres of new public space by permanently closing Broadway to vehicles from West 47th to West 45th Streets and from West 45th to West 42nd Streets. We also prepared the design of an innovative underground event infrastructure to ensure Times Square is wired for sound and power to accommodate the hundreds of events there that occur yearly.
Times Square reconstruction in Manhattan.
Stephen Mallon photo
Highlights
- We prepared the design for water mains, sewers, catch basins, traffic signals and a complex accelerated maintenance and protection of the area’s traffic scheme.
- We also designed and installed custom fixed bollards and operable barriers around the plazas to minimize interferences with below-grade utilities and the subway system, and to meet the operational needs of the roadway.
- The Maintenance and Protection of Traffic design incorporated many phases and sub-phases of construction to meet an aggressive construction schedule required by NYCDOT/NYCDDC.
- The project’s complexity was also driven by the need to allow space for daily events and to maintain pedestrian safety while maintaining a reasonable pace of construction.