Renovation at Bleecker Street.

As a frequent user of the Bleecker Street-Lafayette Street Complex, I ask, does anyone know when the free transfer between the East Side Interboro and Sixth Avenue will include the uptown local?

According to the MTA Capital Program Dashboard, the project is 90% complete and scheduled for completion arund July 2012 (so it's obviously not quite there yet). The project's completion was delayed due to various utility interferences at Houston Street affecting the restoration work and the installation of the elevator, so it's had some troubles.

I can't come up with anything more than that, I'll look around some more online tonight and see if I can find an article or something.

Thanks, 42. It seems like Columbus day might not be a bad estimate, given that the uptown side of Bleecker Street station just needs to have some of the mosaic work finished, and having a feel for the general pace of this type of work.

I was away for a while so I missed ome of the progress. Escalator was running this week. Elevators are largely unboxed. Houston St. appears closed back up. I'm guessing they're down to punch list items, as I've noticed a bunch of new signs hung and taped over that weren't on the mezzanine during the summer. No idea how long it takes to work a punchlist in the MTA. I also wondered if there's a reason to sandbag the opening date so more than one project can be done at the same time, since it requires changing every single transit map in the entire system when the transfer opens.

I just wish the project had included adding express platforms at Bleecker. Here we are, living with the legacy of 3 different competing railroads, nearly a century after the system consolidated.

Thanks, Slowfreight, for the update - I was out sick this weak, but expect to be traversing the East Side Local again next Monday.

As to the second paragraph, I can think of several transfers that are good to have generally, but are lacking due to issues in the lines having been built separately. For example, in Jackson Heights between the Independent Subway and the Queensboro local, and between the Culver Line and the 4th Avenue Local at 4th Avenue and 9th Street in Carroll Gardens. There's also the long delayed connections between the fromer Lawrence Stret and Jay Street-Borough Hall stations in dwontown Brooklyn, and the Queensboro IRT and iindependent Subway at Court Street - Ely Avenue.

4th and 9th wouldn't be a problem if the R would ever run, but it's the R's crappy service, coupled with the impossible connection at Atlantic/Pacific, followed by the insanely slow trek from Atlantic Pacific to the other side of the Manhattan Bridge that makes me sorry every time I ever try to make that change to the F. It's always going to be a snail's pace between the bridge and Atlantic, but I waste almost 40 minutes changing on and off the R every time I try it. Of course, express platforms there would make everything better.

I sent an e-mail to MTA customer service and they responded that "the contractor advises that the opening will be this September, date to be announced.".

So I guess you can expect it open around March of 2017.

lirr42 wrote:I sent an e-mail to MTA customer service and they responded that "the contractor advises that the opening will be this September, date to be announced.".

So I guess you can expect it open around March of 2017.

If that soon.

I read on the Sub-Chat board that 9/25/2012 will be the opening day.

BTW - the August 2012 version of The Map already had the connection open (the double green line at Bleecker St was a single line).

Thanks, Allan. Having that transfer be symmetrical definitely adds to my options in getting home from my workdays in my office.

The connection was open on saturday, I used it, very nice!

hi55us wrote:The connection was open on saturday, I used it, very nice!

Shouldn't have been. Signs are now posted: official opening is tomorrow at noon. Saw the work crew finishing out punchlist items this afternoon.

That's good news! Glad to see the MTA managed to open something months behind schedule instead of decades!

Nice write-up from MTA's website. Follow the link inside the article to "The Great Assymetry."

http://www.mta.info/news/stories/?story=824

It only took them 55 years to get both sides done!

MTA uploaded a video on its YouTube channel detailing the transfer, the construction of the transfer, and the Hive display.

You can view the video here: Broadway/Lafayette-Bleecker St Transfer