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Excavation at the Site to Be Short-Lived

This Week's Construction Update

Padilla Construction Services (PCS), the general contractor, began excavating rock from beneath the former east playground in order both to expand the play area and to create space for public restroom facilities in that location. The rock excavation is slated to last only through the end of this week, when the site should be fully excavated. Future work that may require some jack hammering or other loud activity includes utility trenching, and demolition of the Pavilion's concrete floor. The latter is necessary in order to stabilize and restore the structural foundation of the building. This work should also be completed within the next 1 - 2 weeks.

In addition to excavation and demolition work, PCS has salvaged much of the existing building materials for reuse once the Pavilion has been refurbished and playground expanded. The clay roof tiles, original to the building, are being saved for reuse, as are the granite stones from the retaining wall. When the work is complete, the stone will once again encircle and protect the playground, as well as form part of the façade material for the new public restroom building. Other site work completed this week includes pouring the concrete tree insulation wall, backfilling the tree pit trench with soil, and beginning installation of the site's storm drainage system.

New Feature: Question of the Week

Question: "I heard that the [North End] project includes adding two new lanes of traffic along 17th Street, is this true?" - 15th Street Resident

Answer: No. In fact, prior to the finalization of the North End construction plans, the Parks Department and the Union Square Partnership asked the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a study to determine if we could eliminate roadway to give back to the park. The DOT study found that we could transfer 5 feet from the roadway to the plaza along the entire stretch of 17th Street, which will increase plaza space. Additionally, plans include the removal of all Muni-meter parking along the west side of the park, which will create even more park land space for pedestrian and Greenmarket use. When work on the north plaza is complete, there will be no reduction of plaza space for the Greenmarket and they will return to the north end.

Please submit project-related questions to info@unionsquarenyc.org and we will seek to answer them in future email updates. For more information about the project, visit unionsquarenyc.org/northend.