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Not Business as Usual for A Long Time to Come Pictures->View for pedestrians NOV. 2001, In Memory-the fence outside St. Pauls, NO tickets req'd - July 2002. |
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After July 7 London bombings. as of July 11 2005 cell phone service was cut off for approx a week in Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. "Random" "no racial profiling" bag searches started at some NYC subway entrances 7-22-05, will start in NJ-PATH< NJ Transit etc on 7-25. Gov Pataki ordered more National Guard to mass transit patrols July 29. Increased police presence on mass transit, regional FERRY services [and nationally..] officially on higher alert, have increased security presence including patrols and some radiation screenings on vessels carrying 150+ persons. Operation ATLAS was started back in Spring 2004, but with new info from intelligence found financial centre targets of interest in NYC, North NJ-Newark and Wash DC, security was basically is Orange-plus AUG 2004. Further truck restrictions were in effect Aug 1-2 2004 to Lower Manhattan and more traffic spot checks various locations. Newark NJ 8-1-04 barricades went up around Prudential Bldg. The number of temp sidewalk barriers such as "jersey" barriers and security planters at high-profile buildings peaked, NYC stopped approval of new planters. At some sites, for example the really interesting [but excessive number of] globes! at Times Sq Tower were removed 9-27-2006]. Temp Barriers along 53 and Lex side around Citibank are repalced with planters on LEX, and smaller bollard-ed- area on 53 at Lex. HSB tower 5av, Morgan Stanley on Bway and others installed permanent bollards. Since $10 mil from Homeland Security funds became available, permanent steel bollards were put around Grand Central Station by.Summer 2006early 2007 to replace 2002's concrete highway barriers. Many more street closures and train ticketing, severe access restrictions at MadSqGdn during the Repub convention 2004 Aug 30-Sept 2 but the main deal was restriction of public assembly and more permanent surveillance and spying on "suspect" groups and citizens by authorities was implemented.
Access and Security Zone: There is no 'Red zone' since the recovery was finished and most lower Manhattan blocks are open for regular business BUT there are many Streets CLOSED to vehicles most notably around the STOCK EXCHANGE, and the Federal Buildings, Courthouses and Police HQ. Many other smaller closures are for street re-construction and WTC site construction
But the very MOST DRASTIC street closures in Manhattan will be for the ENTIRE WTC site as soon the new towers near completion...someday. [ -please see MORE->]. NOTE: APRIL 9 - MAY 13 2007 WEST ST -northbound- at WTC site was CLOSED to search for remains. There is still a very active Police checkpoint stopping mostly trucks on BROADWAY just south of CEDAR and Fed. checkpoint sometimes on Lafayette-Foley Sq side of the Federal Bldgs. NYPD got relieved from manning the other checkpoints - "Initially closed by NYPD" became manned by NY Stock Exchange Security who stop vehicles and do searches. The NYSE can't legally but sort of DID take possession and control of public streets.Park Row ambles down from the end of the Bowery to backside of Municipal Bldg and in front of Police HQ under "Police Plaza" then continues past City Hall [then down to Broadway] is closed entirely thru the civic centre from Worth St down to the Brooklyn Bridge. Adjacent small blocks leading to Park Row - 2 blocks of Pearl St from St. James Pl north and 2 blocks of Rose St.[-Madison St] are also closed and used as Police parking! Even an exit from Brooklyn Br leading down to the bridge [N] extension ramp or "Ave of the Finest" are both closed. Mayor Bloomberg announced Apr 14 2005 that May 15 2005 Park Row was going to be partially reopened to pedestrians and 200 bus trips [still thru a checkpoint!] ONLY, NO cars. A new blast wall to be constructed along it at Police HQ is supposed to double as a pedestrian ramp up to the plaza--not done. The latest consultant study released by NYC supports NYC aims to keep Park Row closed as such. And so it will be. With little notice and sham hearings DEC 2008, NYC aims to feed Bowery directly into St. James St. [instead off Park Row] and reconfigure all of Chatham Sq and also 'mall-ise' a lane of Park Row in a 2-year reconstruction starting 2009. Why spend the million$ now? Existing local business owners feel this will insure their closures for good.
The Chinatown-Chatham Sq community tried to challenge these closings. NYPD /Mayor do not give a f__ and do NOT have to obey the courts on this. They have won little. The tiny park triangle of James Madison Plaza was reopened [to pedestrians] spring 2004. "Residents of Confucius Plaza, near the Manhattan Bridge, put up orange barrels to keep police officers from parking in front of their building. 'They took our sidewalk, our front,' Justin Yu said." NYTimes 4-29-04. AUG 5 2003-NY State Supreme Court ruled an environmental impact study to be made re the closings. Ambulances and emerg vehicles searched [MAY 2003, police agreed to let emergency vehicles through barricade without being searched.]. No deliveries or tour busses through the Park Row barricades. YES, some of the entrances and all driveways to 3 apartment bldgs - Chatham Green and Chatham Towers are behind the barrier, they MUST show ID park in their own lot or go home!. Police take more of the length [about 1/2 a block] of Park Row than needed minimally even if complete closing is justified and use it for parking. Surrounding street parking is used all day for Police parking, even though the Dept says they shouldn't. Now there are permanent heavy-duty barrier pop-up barriers checkpoints which replaced a 24-hour manned, sand filled Dept. of Sanitation dump trucks at cost $2mil a year acting as gates to Police HQ driveways and some of the nearby blocks around the federal buildings and courthouses of the Civic Center. Lawsuit against NY APR 20 filed by a local reps and the co-op seeking study of impact of their closing [-which was released in AUG 2007] and "introduced a bill to require the community to be notified when a street is closed for more than 45 days."-NYTimes, The City 5-11-23.
| Small bldgs. including lofts at 125 Cedar, and a few other small old residential bldgs nearby took about a year and a half to have them cleaned up by the government and occupiable. [NYTimes 9-9-03 reported loft residents of 125 Cedar *directly* south of the WTC are stressed [can we say whining?] over the noise and tourists et al outside of their little world of bargain priced lofts they cling to.], Severely damaged on some floors, 90 West St. Cass Gilbert architectural landmark was converted to 410 luxe rentals and first tenants started to move in June 2005 [$108.5mil -Liberty Bond- financing approved Feb 2004 by NYState towards $124.5 mil cost]. It would have burned down if it did not have old-fashioned masonry fireproofing. The Marriott at the WTC was basically destroyed by tower steel slicing it apart, remnants were torn down. Host Marriott is entitled to rebuild but no new hotel is in the master plan. Steel for At 7 WTC foundation work was under way in late 2002, topped out OCT 2004, official opening was held MAY 23 2006; the Governor, Mayor, Silver et al did *NOT* attend the ceremony! Silverstein's offices were already set up in the building and about 20% of the space leased. Three 80-megawatt [for double redundancy] new transformers placed at the ConEd replacement substation on Nov 8 2003, and put in service MAY 2004 serving Battery Park City and WTC site. ConEd and its insurers sued NYC over NYC part in the destruction of its substation caused by fires from diesel fuel tanks of the generators for the NYC Emergency Command Ctr. Suit was dismissed JAN 2006 Judge said NYC was "a civil defense activity immune under the state's Defense Emergency Act." [-see New York Law Journal, 1-13-2006, and others] * Rebuilding is muddled in the usual worst sort of politics and divisions there are, unfortunately. SEPT 2004 just beating a deadline, 600+ people filed class-action fed lawsuit seeking money for medical expenses due to "WTC toxic diseases" naming ".. a number of defendants who owned, managed, controlled and leased the various buildings within the WTC complex." Family member groups sued to include artifacts from the WTC in the memorial, others sued and tried to get legislation to demand ashes or remains be interred on the site. Others want no construction at all or no construction on the fetishized "footprint" of the two towers. Add on the selfish interests of recent co-op and condo owners nearby many of whom don't want anything new built in any form near THEM. Similar problems are arising now with [IMHO spoiled] residents and activists who organized to stop any construction associated with a possible Summer Olympics here in 2012. May 23, 2002 most of the last miles of surface electric cable ["shunts"] were removed which had been placed for blocks radiating across the area, run on the surface paved over and or covered with wood or hi-way cement barriers on the side. The cables were removed by fall 2002 - "5.6 miles of downtown streets need to be dug up to replace W.T.C. power sources"-*Downtown Express* Nov. 13-19, and the 700,000 feet of cable that were put in the street to be ready for the air conditioning load of summer 2002 connecting to added 240MW substation adjacent to the existing substation near South St. Seaport until the new substation to replace one at 7 WTC was built. CON ED and its insurers [10-02] *suing the city* for negligence in part for collapse of 7 WTC due to presence of the emergency fuel tanks over its elec. substation. -[It WAS unusual and very unfortunate to have a substation in an office tower, let alone in one containing a CIA station, US Secret Svc., Mayor's Emerg. Command Ctr. and emerg. generators and diesel fuel!] But the paved-over cables along Broadway etc. are all gone since. Much of Greenwich St. south of the WTC site was torn up [Sept. 2003] and closed for utilities works. Re-cabling at the structurally damaged deco [1926 NY Tel HQ] Verizon bldg. just north of WTC was finished; 300,000 regular and 2.5 million data lines had been cut. |
De-Construction and Death
[Sorry, this is a literal govt mess, and so my long description below is...] A ground breaking ceremony for "Freedom Tower" was held July 4 2004 [photo-op for the Governor?] -construction was supposed to proceed for some substructure summer-fall 2004. Well, site and substructure work was under way in mid 2006 after some major design changes continued in the first half of 2006, summer 2007 first steel rose to the top of the 'bathtub'..summer 2008 it is same situation-what is going on? Finalised leasing by govt to assure use of a major block of space to enable rest of financing has to be in place by late SEPT 2006 or the project itself will totally be in doubt. TWO other [NYState-] fiascos brought to you by Gov Pataki via the LMDC and the MTA are stalled DBank de-construction and the Fulton Transit Centre. The transit centre cost keeps escalating after delayed start. Underground work on the "DEY ST passage" started. At the end of AUG 2007 the deconstruction of 7 buildings on Broadway are complete completed above street level and digging began. So no contaminants were found, otherwise protected deconstruction after US DEP approvals etc required would have slowed it all down.DBank 130 Liberty Street demolition dismantled to 26 floors of the original 41 after just a few months of work after long- well since 9-11[!] -delayed start in 2007 after a long series of delays from insurance disputes, multiple funding schemes, environmental reviews and after the NYC Bldg Dept and EPA fall 2006 finally certified de-construction procedures a DEC 11 2006 contract dispute delayed the job. Before this fire, searches for additional "remains" plus other accidents marred the job after the start. Two firemen died AUG 1- deconstruction halted from the AUG 2007 firemen's deaths after MAY 2008. No air, no water, in the dark.. There was no elevator working, was poly sheeting or netting to contain hazardous stuff from the getting released toxic gas outside and all the holes poked in the bldg spread the fire. Warnings to highest levels were unheeded. Fire maybe started by a smoking worker but really is at the bloody hands of the eight [8] STATE-LOCAL-FED govt Agencies which micro manage and inspect, but NOT very well, this project. The DA could have borught very justified criminal negligece charges agisnt NYC/Bloomberg admin, but backed off [see MORE->]. There was no consequence for the leadership of FDNY. Untouched are the top official in charge of this and rest of WTC site -the GOVERNOR of NY, thru "his" Lower Manhattan Dev Corp is mostly a State entity.
The Fire Dept may have been beaten into sloppiness by these combined bureaucracies, because they did not inspect since Spring 2006. The DEPT was kept out and ordered firemen to keep out, from some one higher-up NOT to go in because of BLACK MOLD etc stuff even worse than asbestos all through it. The Dept also killed ANY fire-fighting plan but the Buildings Dept issued many serious violations against both [Bovis- is top rank] the contractor and subcontractor - would THEY cut any corners because of the $6mil completion bonus for DEC 31 2007? GOVT "Environmental" mandates [-contractors complied!], and -LMCCC- Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center [created by LMDC to be home of the 'czar' of the WTC site, yes after big problems the politicians again decided "We will create another CZAR to take care of this!"] created a deathtrap there. Well, there was a disconnected standpipe by "accident" confused with broken sprinklers; allowed BY the GOVT regulator to stay broken since 9-11 [the pumps were contaminated and "since the bldg was going to be demolished anyway"], plywood in the window spaces [stop stuff from falling out], closed stairs [EPA orders], only one small - [NYTimes 8-23-2007->] last certified test of standpipe system was NOV 1996 and of course 9/111 came before a scheduled test of system in NOV 2001 - in NYC these standpipes stay DRY until needed in a fire!
This building was transferred to LMDC in late 2004 after an insurance dispute before final determination that it was total loss. Original Bankers Trust Plaza was sold to DBank for $84 million in 1996 and it cost $90Mil [via federal funding] to DBank to transfer it to LMDC. It was supposed to be ready for DISMANTLING floor by floor early 2005. Cost of project at time of fire rose to estimated $177mil from earliest $45mil estimate! Severe mold contamination confirmed Spring 2002 further complicated and delayed demolition and later info and more testing showed heavy metals contamination from WTC structure and debris that fell into the building and gouged a section a by wide and 15 or so floors high so the first de-construction contract was canceled May 2005, rebid and awarded AUG 11 2005. Approved EPA plans SEPT 2005 for regular abatement, but APRIL 2006 a new added cleanup was also HALTED after BONE FRAGMENTS found twice -but- tiny around 1/16 inch or so at most caused outrage amongst some family-activists want the place gone over with a fine-toothed comb so they get "proper burial" [oh can I say some of these people are really f__ up now!] AND additional air contamination concerns [workers had NOT been using respirators!] plus ASBESTOS was found in a cleaned area late APRIL 2006. Yet, [I saw plainly] the destroyed section was filled in with steel fall 2003 before settlement until DBank was paid enough by insurers and the Lower Man Dev Corp, DBank had filed suit against insurers Allianz and AXa [-NYTimes, Metro, 8-26-03] early AUG 2003 - insurance companies wanted to repair the bldg not $1.7billion loss claim. [PIC at top of 'next page' - It was linked with a skinny pedestrian bridge across to the WTC plaza, and west across the st. from a firehouse] monitored by engineers and is sound [a big chunk of the north side of the bldg was taken out by tower pieces shooting thru the air] in Spring 2002.
140 West St. was rededicated Dec 8 2005 as Verizon HQ, coming back from their 1972 HQ for NY TEL on 42st-6av [to be sold] and 1,500 employees are to return. Restoration of the facade and re-created bronzes at landmark 1926 deco Verizon telephone bldg. at 140 West St. completed. It was heavily damaged - sections of the structural facade of the nearby north WTC tower smashed into its 7 fl., much of the switches inside were destroyed, 300,000 voice lines and 3.6 million data lines out and many being recabled into the building [NY Times, Business Oct. 15 2002]. Reconstruction including restoration of decoration was est. to cost $210 million besides equipment and recabling costs downtown of $1.4 billion"-[NY Times 1-6-03]. St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church directly across from 2 WTC and a small parking lot were destroyed is given a place for a new church in the new WTC plans. Fiterman Hall [orig 60s office bldg.] of BMCC side facing south to 7 WTC was partially destroyed. On NOV 13 2008, financing for demo in 2009 of Fiterman Hall was worked out with NYC to pay $139mil of the $325mil cost. A new de-construction plan was approved by the EPA and prep work started immediately afterwards on MAR 12 2008, then estimated schedule was for "removal" by end of 2008 and the replacement bldg for college could be ready [- by 2012 hmm 2013?]! Project late and nearly FUBAR, the building was stabilised as 1st round of bids of May 9 2006 were rejected by State Dormitory Auth on June 20 and FEMA, [insurance money and state money was not enough to go on]. finally by the end of OCT 2009, the structure was down to about 3 floors. It is so badly contaminated it is being deconstructed in the same manner as the DBank bldg. is [supposed to be].
The deco Federal Bldg. 90 Church St. was rehabbed and received office tenants early AUG 2004 just after the Post Office in it reopened. STILL an environmental issue in it until a MAY 2006 agreement with the NYC Housing Authority being responsible is that only floors 4, 13-15 with State workers received new windows! The Postal Svc will install new windows on its floors finally. NYC Housing Auth and govt workers are 11 floors of the bldg with original 1930s windows. The cleanup was behind schedule with major tenants pited against bldg leaseholder, Boston Properties, and also sued several insurers who balked against the cleanup and near-total interior reconstruction costs of severely contaminated [incl. with heavy metals and mold] bldg.
Securing NY
The Secret Service from no. 7 WTC is moving or moved to an office bldg. in downtown Brooklyn and the BATF is relocating to a warehouse on 37 St. in Sunset Park, Brooklyn from other temp quarters in Brooklyn. The Customs House operations moved to New Jersey and plan to relocate back to lower Manhattan in "Freeedom Tower." The new NYC Emergency Command Center officially opened DEC 5 2006, is at the edge of Brooklyn Heights. It was a 1950s Red Cross admin bldg. at Cadman Plz. E., adjacent to main Brooklyn Bridge approach and a stair into the High St. A-C subway station. It was gutted down to the concrete structure summer 2004 to be rebuilt about the same size instead of planned expansion. I think it was rightly opposed by many in the area as a risk. A local Councilman proposed the Brooklyn Navy YD., but that was dismissed they said its officially in a storm surge area; FEMA $110mil allocated to build won't allow that. OH SURE. WHY not a secure bldg on Governors Island!I think THE primary factor besides a fast trip over the Bridge from City Hall for the location is being in a NICE neighborhood! - [Feb. 2002 the command center moved out of Pier 92 on the Hudson to a bldg. at the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, since relocated elsewhere.] Two-thirds of City Hall Park were closed to the public under Bloomberg's tenure, a lawsuit and pressure by Friends of City Hall Park made Mayor OK re-open the NORTH part of City Hall Park end of July 2007- CITY HALL is newly fenced along the walk at its NORTH side between the Tweed [Dept of Education] bldg.Some street areas are being monitored more closely than others, besides on cams - WARNING - be careful. NYPD subway photg arrests ocassionally make the press. Do any general outside photo bans make any sense or are of any use in this time of GOOGLE EARTH?! Photography of, while ON, the major NYC and cross -Hudson [NY State Bridge Authority] bridges is now POSTED as forbidden and enforced..cameras may even be taken away..well seems its OK for tourists on Brooklyn Bridge walkway -or is it? NO pics at any PORT AUTHORITY facility- They particularly have been more aggresive than NYPD in enforcing photo ban in PATH, the Bus Terminal, GW Bridge and their other facilities, to the point of forcing the hand of NY Press Photographers Association OCT 2006 to file a lawsuit against them, though some permits are issued which requires an official escort.
ANYONE can be in a photography incident and threatened with arrest almost anywhere in NYC.
Incidents that made the press-> Arun Wiita [half - India Indian] 26 y.o. college student was detained in handcuffs on the STREET near 207st subway "el" no. 1 line JULY 16 2007 while he was taking pics in his interest in the streetscape at the subway lines. ACLU suing for damages on his behalf filed 12-6-2007 Manhattan Fed Court basing it on discrimination because of his appearance. MAY 2005->India-Indian documentary maker video-ing at Park Av-39th detained for 3 hrs, searched, asked to show passport and the videos and threatened. He filed a complaint against the NYPD in JUNE 2005, was refused an official filming permit in NOV 2005 and so finally filed a lawsuit against NYC JAN 10 2005.[-see Newsday 1-11-2006] that led to the proposed draconian insurance and photography permits requirement - for EVERYONE!NYTimes Mag [the back page personal story page] a location scout wrote he was photographing area "near Grand Central" later stopped and questioned and had to show his materials to the unspecified enforcers because of presence of some unspecified National Security apparatus office in the area! He said after further complaints, the City issued actual ID to professional locations photogs etc to help in these circumstances. -until late MAY 2007 there was some obscure PERMIT law in NYC for ANY handheld camera use! [-Do they shoot tourists?] . Incidents of people being stopped and questioned for taking pics on bridges, in the subway AND even on the street, even for "hours" *do not* usually make the new reports until people SUE. People ARE picked off the street, detained [See->MORE] questioned by undercovers. BEWARE of Park Av, south of GRAND CENTRAL - more than one press account of people detained and questioned. Another hot spot where photographers were frequently harassed - by MTA police- is on the streets around the Atlantic Yards site [See MORE->] where it seem as much as them trying to harass people who are against the development as concerns about actual security issues.
The proposed 2005 MTA-subway photo ban did NOT become a rule, although even some employees are being told there is a ban to enforce. I saw a young lady in the subway taking a pic of a friend then being yelled by an ol grumpy subway maint lady to put her camera away, NOW! Be prepared to be harassed. Photographing of subways is also monitored by police where they are present - you will at least be sternly lectured if you are a pretty women - all others be afraid. NOV 2004 MTA "secretly [because there no other notification than the official NYC Register] meaning there was a 45 day public comment period from NOV 24 thru JAN 10 2005. Of course its not just in NYC - Mr. Jem Cohen had film seized in 2005 from taking pics from WINDOW of an AMTRAK train to D.C.! He made some film of NYC and lent it to MOMA -and it was curiously NOT returned. [-see NYTimes [Sat] 7-28-2007 "Picturing Protest, Artists Organize to Fight Camera Permit Proposal" SO, I am not feeling paranoid as I am in fear of a papers check worthy of WWII Nazis, while possessing a camera in public! These bumbling security efforts do NOT make me feel better and I would believe they are NOT effective and stopping actual terror plotters. PROTECT the BORDERS!
One blogger posted his incident of being confronted by the police on taking pics of the ornate lamps on the Fed Reserve bldg in lower Manh - [note Fed Reserve Security and NYPD is around and there are cams monitoring the sidewalks]. June 29 2004 a incident of security guards of the IRANIAN Mission to the UN were expelled from US allegedly taking surveillance photos[-are all of us under suspicion w/cameras in public, or do they have a way of pinpointing "these people" who they say are not just taking tourist photos??? NYTimes photographer accosted by TimeWarner security guards 6-18-04 as she took pics OUTSIDE of TimeWarner Ctr. Kenneth A. Himmel Pres. Pres. and Chief Exec of TimeWarner s development partner said to the Times later it is public space and there should be no restriction on pics from the outside. At the end of DEC. 2001 there was nothing left above ground of the WTC structures, the lower levels and Concourse were already removed. 'Family' viewing platform opened Feb. 10 2002 near 1 WFC serving for a few months use until the larger area WTC was cleared and FULTON ST reopened. ON SEPT 9 2006 a "Tribute Center" with galleries and commemorative items at 120 Liberty St opened to relatives, rescue workers etc, and will open to the public [suggested admission fee $10.] Sept. 18.
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TRANSIT *Official nyc.gov Lower Manhattan Traffic Transit Information*
Announced 8-22-05 MTA to award $212+Mil surveillance system to Lockheed Martin for all subway stations. Station cell service RFP bids on RFP due OCT 12 2005.* *Exchange PL PATH Homeland Security screening mass transit test FEB 7 2006 Xray and metal detector is "voluntary"* *NYPD subway anti-terror anti-crime teams spot checked subway trains. AMTRAK +?other trains - new security procedures to be shortly imposed in NYC +DC* *NYPD to check trains AMTRAK, NJT, LIRR subway coming next -under PENN STATION during Rep convention. NYPD to install street cams linked to facial recognition software at various important locations. TSA airport type screenings for NYC passenger helicopter flights AUG 2004..Starting MARCH 27 2006 "federalized" Wall St helipcopter service direct 10-minute flight to JFK $159 will include all pre boarding service include screening and baggage check. | |||||||||
Subway and PATH Services Restorations: For Current Service Changes See [MORE->], and the MTA Website.
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Lower Manhattan air quality post 9-11..we breathed dead people!
LIBERTY and VESEY streets at N and S of WTC site are closed during construction. ALL streets adjacent to the Stock Exchange, Federal buildings, courthouses and NYPD HQ are closed temporarily [permanently]. No stopping on Broadway side of the Federal Bldg. Duane Str EAST of Broadway adjacent to Fed bldgs was closed and placed under Federal control. On the other side of the courts complex, Pearl St off St. James Pl is closed to vehicles. No regular vehicle access due to permanent security are INTERSECTIONS and perimeter of Stock Exchange affecting 8 square blocks: [3 blocks of] Wall St. from Broadway to William St, and 3 blocks of Broad St., 2 blocks of New Street -NOTE 1/2 the width of Broad St in front of and on Wall are fenced-closed off to pedestrians and NEW ST in back of it is totally closed to non-cleared persons. The Stock Exchange was sued over these blockades which came under scrutiny of NYState Supreme Court and were supposed to be stopped MAR 12 2004, was appealed. The visitor's gallery was closed in 2004. All business visitors wait outside, are screened and escorted inside and screened for a photo ID, and bag search. High security deters even the businesses in the tower adjacent to the Exchange.Other DOWNTOWN streets closed for construction are - State St [S of Broadway at South Ferry] at Whitehall is dug up for no*1* line subway terminal construction. For the Fulton Transit Centre, FULTON St under loong term reconstruction from end of SEPT 2007- ___ 2009] between Gold-William is closed. SOemtime closed thru Nassau too. Beekman Pl is closed from William to Gold. DEY St was repopend but is part of a const. zone. Cortlandt at Broadway reopened late JULY 2007 after being dug up for months for a new subway entrance at south end of S bound 4-5 platform. Just south of the WTC site, ALBANY Str and two or three blocks of GREENWICH Streets, some of Washington St. are closed. Barclay St. *west only* of-to Church St. reopened for first time since 9-11 on MAR 1 2003 for eastbound direction, and Park PL. for 1 block bet. Greenwich St.and W. B'way closed MAR 1 2006 for subway related const. for a year. [Note - Nassau St and John St are closed at lunch for pedestrian malls]. APRIL 1 2002 West St. opened with access to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel at the western edge of the WTC site and Church St/ Trinity Pl. was opened along the eastern edge of the site. Stretches of area streets are dug up for water main project and other reconstruction - most work on ANN st and William St is finished up. A $275Mil, 2-year West St reconstruction to restore 8 lanes + wider sidewalk at BPC will start APR 2007. -see www.lowermanhattan.info for updates.
Midtown 41 St between 8 - 9Av finally reopened SEPT __ 2007, the got better cams and sensors, whatever. NFirst there was not stopping then it was closed on ___, since it runs under the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The mid-block 31-33 St. drive at PENN STA. is still closed to all vehicles. Taxi port-cochiere at Vanderbilt Ave. [W. entrance of] Grand Central is closed, but Park Ave drives thru the complex are open. e21 in front of the Police Academy may be closed at times, No pulling up to or stopping in front of American Stock Exchange and no pulling [is OK again] up to Empire State Bldg. 5th Ave side and Citicorp Lex Ave side [- the atrium shops were reopened to the public AUG 20 2004]. CLOSED late 1005 are streets adjacent to Con Ed site next to Stuyvesant Town from e12-14 st between Ave C-D plus the exits from the East River Drive there.
BROOKLYN- Cadman Plaza EAST adjacent to the expanded FED Court house and the new NYC Emergency center and a portion of Adams on their east side adjacent to Brooklyn Br drive side of the courthouse are closed most of the time except late nites, maybe open on weekends. Adjacent to Metrotech 911 call ctr bldg NO stopping on Flatbush Av and non-thru streets Bridge St and Tech Pl are closed. Former Myrtle Av drive under Metrotech bldgs closed to thru traffic including busses since 9-7-2003, busses are rerouted around them. S-E corner curve of WILLOUGHBY into ADAMS adjacent to a court annex is closed. The pedestrian footpath at the SI-NJ Goethals Bridge is closed. Not sure if any other bridge walkways are closed.
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FERRY
NOTE: **Water Taxi, SeaStreak services as noted following were cut for winter [2007-08]* * SERVICES: Winter 2007-08 QNs East River and Brooklyn-Wall St Water Taxi services are suspended until JULY 2008. New Rockaway-BK Army Terminal Pier 4-Pier 11 Wall St. service starts MAY 11 2008 $6 2 round trips weekdays. Jan 2008-SeaStreak cut much of its NJ-Manhattan service. *YONKERS to WFC-Wall St Water Taxi started May 1 2007 was extended Sept 2007 to Haverstraw Vil with 2 early a.m. runs and 2 back but has low ridership so far may jeopardise the service.* The expanded NY Waterways renovated PORT IMPERIAL/Weehawken terminal opened MAY 23 2006 and all new w39 terminal building opened OCT 24 2005. Water Taxi YONKERS to World Financial Ctr and Wall St started MAY 1 2007. Water Taxi service to Red Hook APRIL 29 and Williamsburg [S6 at Schaefer Landing] May 15 2006 WEEKENDS ONLY. Money was allocated spr. 2003 for Hoboken Sta. ferry slips -closed since 1967- to be renovated and reopened-I did not hear that ever was done. | ||
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Single-occupancy vehicle restrictions into Manhattan on various bridges and tunnels Ended NOV 17 2003
maybe to give NYC an economic boost. AUG 1 2004 new truck restrictions, after being almost normalised in a couple of steps thru 2003. Visual inspections and truck-van opening spot checks possible at all river crossings. Shea Stadium park and ride m-f $3. park- take no. 7 subway. - 1-866-NY-COMMUTE. | ||
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| Midnight DEC 22 2003 deadline for application for 2001 Victim Compensation Fund. WTC Business Recovery Centers - *GRANTS* application period and for pre 9-11 lower Manhattan and businesses. The walk-in centres are closed. | ||
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The large New York City upstate watershed areas had been off-limits since Sept. 11. Road over KENSICO Dam in Westchester and others still probably are closed. Strict no-photography is enforced. A system for permits for fishing and hunting in these areas is in place- "DEP will issue new comprehensive permits — a general Public Access Permit — that will allow for fishing at the reservoirs and for fishing, hiking, and hunting on certain designated lands in the watershed. In addition to the Public Access Permit, a special hunting tag will be required for deer hunters and a separate boat registration will be required to keep rowboats at the reservoirs. DEP will honor current Boat Permits, but all users must receive a new Public Access Permit."- which is applied for by mail but picked up in person "...at the DEP Police precinct specified by the applicant on the application form." | ||
The NY Stock Exchange's new-building plans were canceled. They announced [Aug. 2002] plans to decentralize, later in 2002 positioned as being a secondary or back-up trading site just north of NYC - future - no trading floor? . The N Y Board of Trade from 4 WTC moved to its backup trading floor in Long Island City. THE NYMEX closed only 4 days from the attacks opened a backup site ___ in Nassau Co.to replace one it had ACROSS street from the WTC! The PORT AUTHORITY split its staff between execs at lower Park Av. Manhattan and engineering to Gateway Center in Newark, and will move back to NYC prob. in a few years min. On AUG. 22 2002 NY Gov. Pataki and NJ Gov. McGreevey proposed and shortly afterwards renamed Newark Airport "Liberty International" yeah not even naming it for a PERSON, became Newark-Liberty International as Newark objected to removal of its name.
LEHMAN dead. Too many other casualties of the 2008 economic coup to count left lower Manhattan reeling and the following badly in need of revison-> LEAVING downtown: *Depository Trust to keep execs at Water St but move most operations to Jersy City and take $$$ from NJ unless thye can be persuaded qiukly tp look at Brookyn* *FDIC moving to 103,000 s.f. in Empire State Bldg. at beginnning of 2010. Merrill Lynch [now] div. of Bank of America to Bank of America Tower Spring 2009* *Tullett Prebon [of UK] accepted a $$ deal DEC 2008 from NJ to move from lower Manhattan* *STRAND bookstore 'annex' closed planned for AUG 31 2008-[actually closed early SEPT] victim of Fulton St reconstruction loss of business. O ther stores on Fulton and John are vacant, most are hurting.* Wall St. Journal and Dow Jone consolidation started 2008, newsroom staff moved JUN 12 2009 into NEWS CORP R6Av Rockefeller Ctr building. They moved 250 jobs "permanently" from WFC to S. Brunswick NJ, over 40 miles away a few years ago. LEHMAN BROS to open data center to replace its WFC one, at 85 10th Ave. UK based SCB was in 7 WTC then in Jersey City going to 1 Madison Ave [NY Post Business 3-19-02]. Brooklyn bound: Bank of New York 1,500 staff to Brooklyn in early-mid 2004. Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield -9 of 1,900 employees in WTC 1 died- "[p]artcipated [NOV. 20] in a groundbreaking for a office tower in a groundbreaking for a new office tower on downtown Brooklyn's Metrotech campus, accepting the promise of a $13.9 million tax-break windfall." [The Brooklyn Paper NOV. 26 2001] - to occupy about half of new 19 floor No. '9 Metrotech South' being finished up in early 2003. 6 additional floors OK'd quickly over past bldg. plans. LEAVING NYC: Crain's NY Business [May 1-7 2006] and NYSun says Citigroup is going to move its SmithBarney people from lower Manh [West St] to Jersey City. Also, they say residential conversions will make Northern Trust move to JersCity [Sept 2006] and similarly 1,500 Citigroup employees from 250 West St. Morgan Stanley moving 1,475 -of almost 12,000 total in NYC- out of NYC next year [retail brokerage, investment banking and trading operations to White Plains former Texaco HQ -NY Post 8-7-02].
Moving Down[town] or staying in NYC: *NYC DEPT of TRANSPORTATION moving/ consolidating from 4 borough offices to 6 floor of 55 WaterSt APR 2009 [$32 sq ft] * *MEDIA: The Forward from east33st end of 2008 or beginning of 2009 to 125 Maiden Lane. Engine Room Audio recording studio going way downtown from Canal St to 42 Broadway early 2009. Cuozzo, NYPost Commercial real Estate 8-10-2008 says VIBE Mag moving from 215 Lex to 120 Wall, to join small but growing presence of media companies. [Omnicom] OMD 195 Broadway and Arnell Group for 7 WTFC new lease NOV and DEC 2007. Indian film distributor ADLABS coming from 1st US office in EDISON NJ to lower Manhattan [-late 2007?]. Niche Media moving Gotham Mag etc] [fall 2007?] from Park Av South to 100 Church St.* *DEC 2008 RONCO Acquisition Corp moved to 110 Wall St from LA bargain $32 ft rental former LEHMAN space[-CRAINs NY Mar 16-22 2009] company is twice removed from founder Popeil who sold it in 2005* Late Dec 2006-ANB Amro [Neth] signed a lease for 4 floors of 7 WTC -but- acquired afterwards by Royal Bank of Scotland, did not move in...subleases finally being closed in Summer2009. NY Academy of Science Sept2006 moved to a floor of 7 WTC and sold its townhouse at 2e63. MOODYs SEPT 2006 signed lease for 600,000 s.f. of 7 WTC, they vacated 99 Church which was sold to Silverstein who will build about 60fl [no, JAN 30 2008 announced it is 80fl] tower on this site directly in back of the WOOLWORTH bldg..6-28-06 BearingPoint announced moving downtown to 3 WFC picks up a basket of goodies from the taxpayers of $2.4 mil "job creation grant" and expected $700,000 tax breaks. ..AON consolidating back downtown to 199 Water. RAI Italian broadcasting US moving to 32 6Av from midtown in 2006. Many other businesses moved to Lower Manhattan including publishers and non-profits pushed down the vacancy rate to lowest in years. [Oh, American capitalism!]-Goldman Sachs tower next to WFC and Embassy Suites is ON, announced AUG 2005- OH and they are getting $1.6Bil in publicly subsidised low-cost tax exempt bonds, $600Mil of which are "Liberty Bonds"] and $150Mil+ NYC-State tax credits PLUS employee tax credits plus commercial rent tax exemption $6Mil year x 5 years plus $60Mil sales tax exemption construction materials + sweetheart 65 year site lease deal. [NOTE-bears repeating many time- Battery Park City land is ALL State owned - all bldgs on it are on LEASED land, they each make a deal with the GOVT instead of paying real estate taxes.] Maybe it helped for them to sorta cancel the bldg it earlier ostensibly over their opposition to planed [now cancelled] West St tunnel cut which would have been next to the tower. [So yes, SMILE when you pay those $115 parking and littering tickets!]. American Express Financial Svcs got a sweet subsidy by taxpayers and L. Silverstein, the developer, a deal for 7 WTC space [at $3.80 sq ft on value of $35-$50 sq ft.] and they are also getting NYState subsidised Power Authority electricity plus exemption from commercial rent tax and sales tax exemption on office furnishings.* [NYPost Realty Check 10-19-04-]White+Case of midtown Tech Group lease 40,000 s.f. at 100 William. Media Brokerage services specialist Paradysz Matera moving from 215 Park to 5 Hanover Sq. [-NYPost Commercial Real Estate 10-11-04]. Morgan Stanley sublease of 400,000 s.f at 1 NYPlaza bldg was signed end of Dec 2004 [was Wachovia space before Prudential merger.] and 8 more floors there was announced JUNE 2005 [-give them $1MIl govt grant!] The NYC Health and Hospitals Corp.[HHC] is moving operations to 2 sites incl. 160 Water St. from offices on w41 and w 42 St. HIP relocated to 550,000 s.f. at 55 Water St. [announced in APR 2003] opened OCT 12 2004 but is screwing NY announced job cuts 2007 despite tax break and agreement with NYC. LA firm Opps Thatcher Proffitt and Woods gone in DEC 2008, what is left was acquired by Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal [of CHI] taking some of their space they had moved in 2003 and leasing more at 2 WFC. [NY Life insurance to move 1/4 of employees out of NYC in a 'consolidation' effort will keep its HQ at 51 Mad Av. [NY Post 12-17-02] Oppenheimer Funds returns to WFC and leases 200,000 sf of former Merrill Lynch space at 2 WFC and Goldman Sachs renews lease and is NOT moving to NJ out of 500,000 sf at 1 NYPlaza[-NYPost, Commercial Real Estate 67-17-03]. Proposed new office tower by MINSKOFF which would be adjacent to Tribeca's 1980s PS 234 is bitterly opposed by the well-heeled parents of the area in mind if the experiences of 9-11 [NY Post 10-29-02]. I just gotta say they are still the newcomers to this commercial area, and if new housing is built as they may prefer, these new residents would then oppose other public and commercial development in this area, as exemplified by many Battery Park City residents who are obstacles to any rebuilding of the WTC site.
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