City Construction Agency Previews Rocky Roads in Lower Manhattan Through 2029
The City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) recently provided Community Board 1 with an update on the status of civic infrastructure projects in Lower Manhattan over the next four years.
The rehabilitation of an interceptor sewer on South Street between Fulton and Dover Streets, which began in November 2023, aims to stop East River water from leaking into a 1,000-foot-long passage located 30 feet below South Street. The project to seal this tunnel is expected to be complete by August of this year.
The reconstruction of Vesey Street between Church Street and Broadway, which is upgrading water mains and private utilities, and installing pedestrian ramps and a granite curb, is slated to be finished by next January. This work includes asbestos abatement on steam pipes below street level.
The $18-million revamp of Trinity Place between Morris and Cedar Streets also includes work involving water mains, private utilities, pedestrian ramps, and a granite curb, but features the replacement of 150 linear feet of 15-inch sewer lines and a completely new roadbed (nine inches of concrete topped by three inches of asphalt). This initiative, which entails the closure of Rector Street between Trinity Place and Broadway, was originally scheduled for completion in September 2027, but has now slipped to January 2029.
Nassau Street between Pine Street and Maiden Lane is being rebuilt with a similar concrete base and asphalt surface, beneath which a Con Edison gas main is being replaced. DDC says this work is on track to be finished by June 2026.
Greenwich Street between Barclay and Chambers Streets is getting a new road surface, sidewalks, and curbs, while the DDC replaces 950 feet of water mains, including a 200-foot portion intended to remove legacy pipe joints that contain lead. While crews are at work on this $10.7-million project, they are also taking out abandoned street trolley infrastructure that dates from the nineteenth century. This will be done by November 2026.