ULI New York Transportation Transformed Panel

By Tara B. Mulrooney, Esq.

On March 9, 2007, the Urban Land Institute of New York presented “Transportation Transformed: Innovations in the Tapestry of Urban Transit” which featured a distinguished panel discussing four transit-related projects in the New York metropolitan area. The panel was moderated by Carol J. Patterson, Esq. In her introduction and overview of the panel, Ms. Patterson explained how the transportation scene in the metropolitan New York area will be dramatically altered over the next few years as various infrastructure initiatives and public transit programs are developed. The four projects presented by the panelists are examples of these initiatives, and each project offers a unique solution to New York City’s congested transportation system. The projects discussed were the renovation and repositioning of the High Line, an elevated freight rail line that runs for twenty two blocks from 34th Street to Gansevoort Street on Manhattan’s West Side; the New York Water Taxi, an innovative small scale transportation company linking waterfront neighborhoods, parks and cultural attractions in New York Harbor; the Trans-Hudson Express (THE) Tunnel consisting of a new two-track rail tunnel into Pennsylvania Station and a new passenger station at 34th Street; and vision42, a project which seeks to clear 42nd Street of auto traffic and install a rail line with sixteen rail stations between the Hudson and East Rivers.

I. The High Line.

The first speaker, Joshua Davis, founded Friends of the High Line with Robert Hammond in 1999 when the 1.5 mile-long elevated railroad structure was under threat of demolition. The mission of Friends of the High Line was to save the structure and create a public promenade to be enjoyed by residents of and visitors to New York City. The High Line runs through some of the City’s most dynamic neighborhoods from the Gansevoort Market Historic District up through West Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and, ultimately, the Hudson Yards. Mr. Davis provided a brief history of the High Line explaining that it was built in the 1930’s during a time when these neighborhoods were dominated by industrial and transportation uses. Today, many of the old warehouses and factories have been converted into art galleries, retail space, design studios, restaurants, museums and residences. The project’s new recreational purpose will compliment the new composition of these neighborhoods. The High Line was in active use for approximately 30 years, until parts of it were torn down in the 1960s when the rise of interstate trucking led to a decline in rail traffic. In 1980, trains stopped running on the northern end of the highline and were rerouted to accommodate the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. In the mid-1980’s, a group of private property owners who purchased land under the High Line began lobbying for the demolition of the entire structure. Friends of the High Line was formed to advocate the preservation of the High Line and its reuse as open public space. Friends of the High Line saw the restoration of the High Line as an irreplaceable opportunity to provide an open land resource with an historical significance and that would become an economic generator. Friends of the High Line developed a “Rails to Trails” Program that allowed for the unused rails to be converted into 15,000 miles of trails to be open to the public.

Although former Mayor Guiliani signed papers in 2001 committing the City to demolish the structure, an Article 78 lawsuit by Friends of the High Line saved the structure from ruin. In response to the challenge, the State Supreme Court ruled that the plans to demolish the High Line were undertaken in violation of proper procedure. Following this threat of demolition, with the support of the new Bloomberg administration, on July 10, 2003 New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller announced the City’s commitment to funding $15.75 million to the High Line Project. The preservation of the High Line, now owned by the City of New York under the jurisdiction of the Parks Department, was underway.

In 2004, the Design Team for the High Line Project was selected, which includes Diller Scofidio & Renfro as architect and Field Operations as the landscape architect. The preliminary design materials created by the design team under the direction of Friends of the High Line includes a “planking” system of long thin cement planks which allows plant growth through the pathways. Seating is also a component of the planking system as the design team created “peel up” benches along the pathways in intimate alcoves and flexible gathering spaces. The landscape design is another important element of the High Line as perennial plantings will create an environment that is reflective of the self-seeded meadows atop the High Line today. Lighting is another important component of the project. Based on night visits to the High Line, a concept was developed which includes low level lights at waist level and below. There will also be lighting underneath the structure to illuminate the streets and sidewalks. The design includes access points every two blocks with stairs and elevators up to the High Line.

The High Line is currently in the Site Preparation Phase, which consists of rail removal, abatement and painting, concrete and steel repair, drainage and pigeon mitigation. The first section of the High Line is scheduled to open in 2008. This section spans nearly nine blocks from Gansevoort Street up to 20th Street and comprises nearly fifty percent (50%) of the Line. The High Line is encouraging the development of innovative projects all around it and has been used as a marketing tool for new developments in the area. Currently, there are about 30 projects in various stages of development in the areas surrounding the High Line. Some of these high profile projects include Andre Balazs’ Standard Hotel; Diane Von Furstenberg’s flagship store and studio; The Related Companies’ new project, the Caledonia; and Interactive Corp.’s headquarters designed by Frank Gehry. When completed, the High Line will be a truly unique elevated space that will greatly enhance and unite the West Side neighborhoods it encompasses.

II. The New York Water Taxi

The second panelist was Thomas Fox, President and CEO of New York Water Taxi. Mr. Fox started New York Water Taxi in 2002 and now its distinctive yellow taxi boats serve 11 stations, providing over one million passengers an exceptional sight seeing experience, as well as a fun and safe commute.

With the building of the bridges and tunnels into Manhattan, there was a shift away from the waterways as a means of transportation and a life support of the City. In 2002, the New York Water Taxi opened for business as the first waterborne transport services in over 50 years. The concept was to make use of the City’s underutilized waterways and open this resource to all New Yorkers. Initially, the service stopped at Fulton Street Landing in Brooklyn and went on to Wall Street/South Street Seaport, Battery Park, the World Financial Center, Chelsea Piers and West 44th Street. To launch the new service, the New York Water Taxi provided free service during its inaugural week.

The docks for the New York Water Taxi are small and handicapped accessible. At just 50 by 100 feet, the docks cover very little of the water and can be connected to any pier. Portable kiosks that can be rolled off the boats are used to sell tickets to the water taxis. By its fifth anniversary, New York Water Taxi had expanded from three vessels to nine and introduced a second series of water taxis with increased capacity, comfortable seating and full service bars. The New York Water Taxi has expanded its business by partnering with local developers. An example is extending free service to new condominium owners and potential buyers in a Schaffer Developers project in Brooklyn. Similar agreements have been reached with Fairway in Redhook and Ikea in the Erie Basin.

New York Water Taxi also has a strong educational and recreational component, providing tours of New York Harbor and the Statute of Liberty, as well as private cruises. The company has developed its own beach in Long Island City, using 400 tons of sand and setting up picnic tables, a volleyball net and a snack bar as a way to promote the company and bring people out to the waterfront. Another unique function of the New York Water Taxi is its role in emergency preparedness, as it provides for police and fire egress out of Manhattan in an emergency when streets and traffic are congested.

Currently, the New York Water Taxi has 11 stops, 9 vessels and served over 1 million passengers last year alone. Mr. Fox discussed his plans to continue the expansion of the New York Water Taxi and is working to add stops at Governor’s Island and the Atlantic Basin, as well as expanding services along the East River. Mr. Fox emphasized the importance of working waterfronts and stressed that the development of safe, fast and convenient water transportation relates directly to the success of new development along the waterways.

III. Trans-Hudson Express (“THE”) Tunnel

Alan Weinberg, Director of Outreach and Coordination of THE Tunnel Project, described the Project which as consisting of a new two-track rail tunnel into Pennsylvania Station and a new passenger station at 34th Street. Mr. Weinberg provided a brief history of New Jersey Transit, explaining that it was created almost three decades ago from seven bankrupt freight railroads and dozens of bankrupt bus companies, all of which were inefficient, disconnected, undercapitalized and unreliable. New Jersey Transit recognized the value of these abandoned assets and began to invest and capitalize on their economic potential. In the past 28 years there has been a tremendous growth in population in New Jersey adding enormous pressure to the roads, highways, bridges and tunnels providing access into and out of Manhattan. In fact, annual commuter rail trips into New York’s Pennsylvania Station have doubled in the past 10 years from 18 million passengers in 1996 to 40 million passengers in 2006. Amazingly, there is only one track in and one track out of the Northeast Corridor of Pennsylvania Station. THE Tunnel Project seeks to remedy the current bottleneck between Newark and New York, doubling the tracks and the train capacity across the Hudson River.

In addition, to breaking the bottleneck and doubling the rail capacity into Pennsylvania Station, other benefits of THE Tunnel Project include improved environmental smart planning initiatives and economic benefits. Mr. Weinberg described a system in crisis, explaining that all approaches from West of the Hudson into Manhattan are currently clogged. This includes the bus system which, with over 675 buses, has no room for expansion. Smart Growth planning has been initiated to encourage development around train stations and town centers in an effort to reduce auto travel on overcrowded and congested roadways, bridges and tunnels, which will in turn improve air quality. With the increased rail capacity, THE Tunnel aims to attract drivers and bus passengers to the railways. Mr. Weinberg estimated that the Project could eliminate 35,000 daily trans-Hudson automobile trips into Manhattan and 968,000 daily vehicle miles traveled. In addition to the Smart Growth benefits, THE Tunnel will have significant economic benefits for the New York metropolitan area. It is estimated the project will create 6,000 new construction jobs, add $10 billion in gross regional product, add $4 billion in real personal income and result in 44,000 new permanent jobs.

THE Tunnel is underway and gaining momentum. The Preliminary Engineering Contract and Construction Management Contract have been awarded. The Project will be run by New Jersey Transit with the help of the Port Authority, which has committed $2 billion to the project. Mr. Weinberg expressed a spirit of cooperation between New York, New Jersey and the rest of the region with respect to THE Tunnel. New Jersey Governor John Corzine has committed $500 million to the project and New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Mayor Mike Bloomberg have publicly expressed their support of THE Tunnel. THE Tunnel has a budget of $7.4 billion in project costs, with funding from New Jersey, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and federal sources. The project is scheduled to begin the Engineering Phase in 2008 and break ground in 2009, with completion of THE Tunnel expected in 2016.

IV. vision42

The final speaker, Roxanne Warren, Chair of the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility, presented vision42, a plan to clear Manhattan’s 42nd Street of auto traffic and install a light rail line in its place. The purpose of this project is to create a 42nd Street that is welcoming to pedestrians with more pedestrian space, greenery, amenities and faster travel from river to river. By implementing a two and a half-mile low floor light rail line, vision42 would cut travel time across 42nd Street while allowing space for outdoor restaurants, cafes and other public amenities.

Currently, sixty percent of street space on 42nd Street is allocated for motorists, leaving little room for the heavy pedestrian traffic on the block. Crosstown bus transit on 42nd Street is extremely slow and there is a recognized need for better cross-town circulation. The proposed plan is for pairs of light rail stops at each typical 800-foot area. This would result in 12 pairs of stops along 42nd Street, plus two pairs at each of the far eastern and western ends along the rivers. The rail trains would function almost as a floating street line and would have low floors, making them easily accessible for strollers and wheel chairs. Trains would have shorter boarding times then buses and would arrive every two minutes. The light rail would be different from the number 7 subway line in that it would provide a different type of service and reach new, waterfront developments and ferry lines. Being above-ground, it will also be more convenient than the number 7 subway line, which is 80 feet below grade. Ms. Warren described how the rail line model has been used in many European cities, such as Rome’s Piazza Navona and Vienna’s Graben, as well as in approximately 30 United States cities including Houston and San Francisco.

Ms. Warren explained that in 2004 and 2005, grants from the New York Community Trust enabled the vision42 team to commission technical studies of a proposal for auto-free light rail transport on 42nd Street. The purpose of these studies was to analyze and address the economic and traffic implications of the proposal, as well as to estimate costs and examine construction phasing techniques. In terms of the economic implications, a key finding of the study was that increased access and travel time savings from the rail line will lead to greater value of existing commercial and residential real buildings. In fact, the studies project a $3.5 billion increase in commercial property values along the 42nd Street corridor. As a result of these increases in property value, annual increases in City and State taxes would be sufficient to finance construction of the project in less than two years. Further, the studies revealed anticipated benefits to retail, restaurants, hotels and theaters due to the increased access from pedestrian volume which would increase an average of 35%. Restaurants could add outdoor cafes, theaters could set up outdoor kiosks and hotels could include landscaping that would enhance their appeal. These benefits to local businesses would increase employment and workers’ earnings by an estimated 34%. The studies also analyzed the proposal’s impact on traffic conditions from 37th Street to 47th Street, river to river, including but not limited to, delivery and access, traffic shrinkage and elasticity, cost impacts of traffic shifts, taxi access to Grand Central and parking issues. Overall, the studies revealed that issues of traffic diversion would be quite manageable. Traffic would be diverted to other crosstown streets and mitigation measures such as changes in signal time, reallocation of street space and parking restrictions could be implemented. In terms of access, it was revealed that most large offices have deliveries on 41st and 43rd Streets and small shops could reserve curb space at adjacent avenues.

With respect to cost studies and construction phasing, vision42 is estimated to cost anywhere between $360 million to $500 million, depending on the choice of propulsion system and the amount of disruption to utilities caused by the construction. Utility relocation would be a dominant cost of the project. The construction would be in three phases and could be accomplished in two years if there is minimum utility disruption. Upon completion, vision42 will bring the greenery of park areas to midtown Manhattan and provide a unique pedestrian space that will provide cleaner air and numerous public amenities.