The Street Grid. Urban Design Elements

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1 The Street Grid The street grid of Manhattan has evolved constantly throughout the city s history. Streets added in one century are often unrecognizable in the following, leaving historians with little evidence of what came before. The city s remarkable growth has pushed development forward at exponential rates, with new streets added and existing ones reconfigured to accommodate more people and new uses. Nowhere is this more true than in Lower Manhattan. While much of Manhattan north of Canal Street is laid out in a perpendicular grid with north-south avenues and east-west streets, such tidy intersections are often a far cry from the intricate maze that is Lower Manhattan. With a mix of avenues and curving streets wending their way among tall office towers and the city s oldest buildings, Lower Manhattan reflects both the earliest history of Manhattan and its modern reimagining. Streets designed to accommodate 17th century pedestrian traffic are today crowded with cars, buses and trucks, all attempting to weave their way through narrow, skyscraper-lined canyons. We must reconcile twenty-first century demands for a pedestrian-friendly public realm, sites for future development, and accessible transportation facilities with the existing configuration of downtown streets. There is no one exact street grid to be restored. The World Trade Center site itself was a part of the Hudson River in the 17th century, when Greenwich Street formed the western boundary of Manhattan. Since that time, Manhattan has extended progressively further west into the Hudson River, with Greenwich, Washington and West Streets each serving as the island s western boundary at one point in the city s history. With the construction of Battery Park City in the 1970s, the Manhattan coastline pushed beyond West Street to where it is today. 37 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

2 The Street Grid Historic Maps of the Downtown Street Grid In 1766, when this map was first published, Greenwich Street marked the western boundary of Manhattan. Though Lower Manhattan today little resembles what it did in the late 18th century, we can still find such landmarks as Trinity Church and City Hall Park on the map. By 1797, just thirty years later, the beginnings of Washington Street can be seen along the western shoreline, though the street did not connect south beyond Liberty Street. Greenwich Street had also been widened to accommodate more north- south traffic. Slowly, more and more land was added to the Hudson River piers. 38 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

3 The Street Grid By the late 19th century, as seen in this 1867 map, both Greenwich and Washington Streets connected directly to the southern tip of Manhattan. The city had expanded further into the Hudson, with West Street now forming the city s boundary. Just as with Washington and Greenwich Streets, West Street also ran to Battery Park. Church St. CITY HALL PARK Vesey St. St. Broadway t Wes The building of the World Trade Center ( ) transformed the street grid of Lower Manhattan. A superblock bounded by Vesey, Church, Liberty and West Streets divided both Greenwich and Washington Streets into two. The boundary of Manhattan was pushed westwards as the ninety-two acre Battery Park City was created with material excavated during the construction of the World Trade Center. Liberty St. Trinity Pl. 39 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

4 The Street Grid There are several possible changes to the Lower Manhattan street grid that should be explored. North-South Corridors A north-south connection through the site could be achieved through the extension of Greenwich Street, an alternative which became a possibility following the decision not to rebuild 7 World Trade Center over the former Greenwich Street right of way. Greenwich Street, which had formerly been interrupted at Barclay Street, could be connected all the way through to Liberty Street, allowing for greater traffic movement down the west side to the southern tip of Manhattan. This extension could also create a long view corridor extending from Lower Manhattan north to TriBeCa, allowing for increased light and air. Greenwich Street looking north from the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel approach. Greenwich Street looking south from Fulton Street. This extension could be accomplished by either extending Greenwich Street through the site and then having it connect up directly with the remainder of Greenwich below Liberty Street or by extending Greenwich through the site to connect to Washington Street. 40 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

5 The Street Grid East-West Corridors An east-west connection through the site could be achieved by the extension of Fulton Street. With this alternative, Fulton Street, which currently extends west from South Street to Church Street, could be extended across to West Street. Just as extending Greenwich could create a strong north-south traffic axis, so too could extending Fulton Street to West Street create an east-west axis running from the South Street Seaport to the World Financial Center. This extension could run straight across to the World Financial Center or it could bend to culminate at the Winter Garden, creating an impressive approach to the World Financial Center. With four subway lines converging at the Fulton Street Station, this corridor is already an important hub of activity for Lower Manhattan. The creation of an east-west axis with view corridors extending to Battery Park City could create a dramatic entrance just at the point where many travelers to Lower Manhattan arrive and surface from the subway. Fulton Street looking west from Broadway. 41 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

6 The Street Grid Other Corridors Like Fulton Street, Cortlandt, Dey and Liberty Streets could also be extended to the west to allow for expanded view corridors and increased light and air. The expansion of these streets would allow more options for traffic flows, which could potentially ease some of the burden of already overcrowded streets. The new streets could be open to all traffic, limited to service vehicles, or set aside for pedestrians. Dey Street looking west from Broadway. Cortlandt Street looking west from Broadway. Liberty Street looking west from Broadway. 42 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

7 West Street West Street is the southern section of Route 9A, an eight-lane, 260-foot-wide State highway that runs parallel to the Hudson River. In Lower Manhattan, high-speed traffic on West Street serves as a major barrier to both pedestrians and vehicular cross traffic, effectively isolating Battery Park City and the World Financial Center from the rest of Lower Manhattan. Consequently, there have been a series of proposals over the years to mitigate the impact of West Street and connect these areas into the Lower Manhattan street grid. In 1998, Governor Pataki signed the Hudson River Park Act into law, beginning a 7-year construction project to create a 550-acre waterfront park extending from Battery Park to 59th Street. Completed sections of the park have attracted throngs of New Yorkers, and the final product promises to be one of New York s most popular waterfront spaces. The rebuilding of West Street could provide a unique opportunity to connect the World Trade Center site and Lower Manhattan to this significant public amenity. Aside from enhancing pedestrian and local vehicular access between the waterfront and the Financial District, a rebuilt West Street could provide visual and physical links to new public open space. Its 260-foot right of way provides ample dimensions to solve both vehicular and pedestrian needs Possible alternatives include a reconfiguration of the existing roadway and the Hudson River Park to create a more pedestrian friendly environment, the introduction of a short tunnel between Vesey and Liberty Streets, and a deck over the current West Street. Planning for an improved West Street should take into account several existing conditions, not only through and local traffic, but also the presence of tunnels for the PATH train beneath the roadway, not to mention multiple subsurface utility conduits and a massive sewer main. Possible roadway configurations include bypass and boulevard alternatives, and several options are currently under review by the New York State Department of Transportation and other state and city agencies. 43 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

8 West Street RAMP RAMP RAMP EXISTING BROOKLYN- BATTERY TUNNEL EXISTING BATTERY UNDERPASS Full length tunnel below West Street. West Street tunnel at the World Trade Center site. Elevated pedestrian deck at the World Trade Center site. Elevated pedestrian bridges. 44 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

9 West Street Long Bypass One possibility is the construction of a fifteen-block bypass from the Battery to Chambers Street, which could separate through and local traffic into a subterranean highway bypass and a local street with at-grade pedestrian crossings. This type of bypass was used for FDR Drive at Carl Schurz Park on Manhattan s Upper East Side. In Oslo, Norway, a harborside pedestrian promenade covers a two-mile tunnel, linking the waterfront to the new center of town. This allows for the sub-grade passage of over 70,000 vehicles per day in a tunnel with underground access to parking garages. Carl Schurz Park Manhattan Harborside Promenade, Oslo, Norway 45 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

10 West Street Intermediate Bypass A nine-block bypass from Albany Street to Murray Street could separate local and through and local traffic into a subterranean highway bypass and a local street with at-grade pedestrian crossings. Although different in scale from West Street, Park Avenue South s two bypass lanes provide a good example of how through traffic can be discreetly and efficiently managed. Park Avenue South Manhattan Short Bypass A four-block platform deck could be built over a partially sunken Route 9A to connect the World Financial Center and World Trade Center site across West Street at the same elevation. This concept could provide a unique opportunity to reconcile elevation differences that existed in the previous World Trade Center development. It would require some complicated sitework at the northeast corner of Vesey and West Streets. This strategy was used at Freeway Park in Seattle to conceal a congested freeway beneath a public park while providing for efficient traffic flows. Similarly effective is the public esplanade in Brooklyn Heights that conceals traffic on the BQE. Freeway Park, Seattle Brooklyn Heights Esplanade, Brooklyn 46 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

11 West Street Grand Promenade Lower Manhattan sits at the top of New York Harbor and is the departure point for the millions of tourists destined for the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Liberty State Park. The World Trade Center memorial could be tied to this sequence of national monuments as it represents another chapter in the history of this country. West Street could also be transformed into a grand promenade, an improved version of the roadway that existed before September 11. Pedestrian bridges or at-grade crossings could provide connections across, and landscape features could be used to separate pedestrians from fast-moving traffic. In Boston, Massachusetts, Commonwealth Avenue is a 240-foot landscaped promenade with a central island that is broad enough to be a important asset of that city s parks system. The Mall in Washington, DC, and the Champs Elysees in Paris, France, offer examples of how a grand promenade can be a beautiful yet efficient system for managing pedestrian traffic and creating a magnificent vista. Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts Champs Elysees, Paris, France The Mall, Washington, DC 47 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

12 West Street Hudson River WTC PROMENADE BATTERY PARK East River LIBERTY STATE PARK ELLIS ISLAND STATUE OF LIBERTY Upper Bay A sequence of historic and cultural monuments. 48 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

13 Bus Facility In the months since September 11, a surge in the number of tourist buses dropping passengers off near the World Trade Center site has led to traffic bottlenecks on Broadway and elsewhere. Conservative estimates suggest that the World Trade Center memorial may attract several million visitors each year, meaning that much of this traffic is here to stay. In addition, over 500 New York City Transit and 500 commuter coaches bring passengers to Lower Manhattan daily. During summer months, as many as 300 chartered buses come to Lower Manhattan each day to bring tourists to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In order to provide a location where these commuter and tour buses can safely load and unload passengers, and park between trips, it is essential that a bus facility be built in Lower Manhattan. Elevation differences across the World Trade Center site could perhaps provide a unique opportunity to create a discreet and efficient bus facility that could be hidden below grade. While there are relatively few free-standing bus facilities of architectural significance, there are several features that can be borrowed from other bus terminals and parking facilities: The parking facility at the Hoover Dam is an elegant structure, nestled into a steep grade change and built out of local stone Boston s Post Office Square Garage and Urban Park is an effective solution to parking in dense urban conditions, providing seven levels of car parking in a ventilated facility that is completely hidden below ground The bus and car parking facility at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is an architecturally attractive facility that makes use of high ceilings and openings to the outside Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina s bus terminal is a utilitarian yet beautiful facility, featuring an airy and open space under an arched, skylit ceiling The renovated main concourse at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Eighth Avenue now bustles with commuters and shoppers. A focus on improved lighting and more active retail transformed this efficient venue into a bustling and attractive facility Bus Terminal Charlotte North Carolina 49 Port Authority of New York and New Jersey