Design-Build Project Complete: $300 Million ADA Upgrade and Renovation of Manhattan Subway Station Complex

ADA upgrades at the 14th Street Sixth Avenue subway station complex in Manhattan included installation of nine new elevators, which now take passengers from the street level (top) to the mezzanines (bottom), and 25 new stairways as well as renovation of 39 existing stairways.

 

 

The project team of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), design-build contractor Citnalta-Forte, Joint Venture, and designers Urbahn Architects and Gannett Fleming completed a comprehensive accessibility upgrade and other renovations at the 14th Street Sixth Avenue subway station complex in Manhattan. MTA’s subsidiary, MTA Construction and Development (MTA C&D), was the overall project manager. Naik Group served as project management consultant.

 The complex stretches along West 14th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. It’s served by the F and M trains running north and south along Sixth Avenue, the L train along 14 Street, and the 1, 2 and 3 lines running north and south along Seventh Avenue. The three stations have a total of five platforms.

“The main goal behind this expansive $300 million upgrade and renovation was to provide full ADA accessibility to the 14th Street Station complex used by more than 130,000 passengers every day,” explains Urbahn Architects Principal Natale V. Barranco, AIA, LEED AP. “The redesign also included improving passenger circulation and technology upgrades. The station, the oldest section of which was built in 1918, is now fully accessible and received necessary technological, lighting and infrastructure improvements.”

The $300 million funding for this ADA upgrade and redevelopment megaproject included $247 million in federal funds.

Streamlining the Complex Work

The MTA contracted the project in the design-build method, a process in which a client retains an entire team of contractor, architect and engineers to deliver both the design and construction under one contract, explains Urbahn Project Manager and Senior Associate Lawrence Gutterman, AIA, DBIA.

“This method, as opposed to the traditional design-bid-build process, streamlines and accelerates the work, provides one point of responsibility, and improves the overall team collaboration,” he adds. “MTA has been employing this innovative contracting method for several years to deliver multiple ADA upgrades and other renovations throughout the New York City subway system. The design-build process allowed the team to deliver the 14th Street station upgrades on time and on budget, a significant achievement, considering the project’s size and complexity.”

Within the Gannett Fleming–Urbahn joint venture, Urbahn Architects was the architectural lead partner and the architect for the Sixth Avenue portion of the project, while Gannett Fleming was the architect for the Seventh Avenue portion and the structural engineer for the Sixth Avenue portion as well as the elevator consultant and infrastructure and controls designer.

The design-build contract holder and builder was Citnalta-Forte, Joint Venture, formed by Citnalta Construction Corporation and Forte Construction Corporation. Other team members included MEP engineer A. G. Consultant Engineering; structural engineer for the Seventh Avenue portion Dewberry Engineers; communications and fire alarms engineer Geri Goldman Engineering; lighting designer Domingo Gonzalez Associates; and historic restoration consultant Jablonski Building Conservation.

“Design-build is a powerful tool for delivering exceptional projects, allowing us to achieve elevated design standards, while meeting client needs for speed,” adds Joe Tulumello, AIA, Gannett Fleming’s executive director, Buildings and Places. “This project reflects our dedication to improving the lives of NYC subway riders through innovative design and engineering and showcases the power of collaboration with Citnalta-Forte and our JV partner, Urbahn Architects.”

 

Planning, Redesign and Construction

“Early in the project’s design phase, the team surveyed all the underground utilities and structures to gain an understanding of the existing condition of the station complex, evaluate necessary upgrades and select the best locations for the new elevator and stair access points,” explains Urbahn Project Architect Michael Sheedy, AIA.

After determining that the best sites for most street-level elevators were where preexisting stairs were located, the team worked to relocate the stairs. Two stairs on the Sixth Avenue side were relocated approximately 30 feet and one stair on the Seventh Avenue side was relocated approximately 100 feet.

The designers and builders addressed numerous logistical and engineering challenges during the design and construction process. In addition to the required relocation of a multitude of utility lines, the team had to reconfigure and expand both the upper and lower mezzanine levels on the Sixth Avenue side to create access to the new elevators. They also had to consider that the southbound and northbound platforms for the F and M lines on the Sixth Avenue side are separated by PATH train tracks and a platform that’s operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which necessitated the installation of dedicated elevators for each of the subway platforms in this section.

Since the 14th Street station is one of the busiest in New York City, the project team had to carefully phase the work to provide continuous, uninterrupted access to the platforms at all times and ensure that the station would remain open throughout the renovations.

“The logistics was the most challenging aspect of the project, as our team had to complete the work without disrupting the commute of 130,000 passengers who use the station daily,” explains Citnalta’s Project Executive Michael Murphy. Technical challenges included the complex task of excavating the bedrock to the depth of up to 40 feet to install the new elevators next to a busy street and in a densely developed area with an extensive network of underground infrastructure lines.

“In addition, due to the sections of the complex being originally constructed over 100 years ago, some of the existing conditions, deteriorated structural elements and locations of older infrastructure installations were not discovered until the renovation was already under way,” adds Murphy. “Despite these challenges, we still met the project’s completion schedule by accelerating the work with multiple shifts and working on weekends.”

Full Accessibility

To achieve full accessibility and improve circulation throughout the station, the project team installed nine new elevators as well as 25 new and 39 renovated stairways, which now take passengers from the street level to the mezzanines and from the mezzanines to the platforms or directly from the street to the platforms. The Sixth Avenue section features six new elevators and the Seventh Avenue segment houses three new elevators.

 

The team increased circulation capacity throughout the complex by including several new internal stairways that connect the mezzanines to the platforms. For example, previously there was no easy access from the entrance on the west side of the Sixth Avenue to the L train, which forced passengers to cross the mezzanines several times to get to the L platform. The new interior stairs resolved this issue.

A new ADA ramp on the pathway between the Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue sides was installed to address issues with the preexisting ramp that made it too steep for proper wheelchair access. The new ramp runs approximately half the length of the pathway and was designed at a shallower angle for easier wheelchair use. The ramp is separated with a handrail that runs along the general pathway to allow passengers of varying physical abilities to be able to use the same shared paths.

Additional Upgrades

This station’s large back-of-house operation services almost all the subway stations in Manhattan. The complex’s upgrades required reconfiguration of these offices and storage rooms, including several areas built early in the project to allow subsequent relocation of the rooms displaced to accommodate the new elevators and elevator machine rooms. The Urbahn team interviewed back-of-house employees to ascertain their daily needs and ensure that their work would continue uninterrupted.

Other upgrades and repairs included platform surfaces, wayfinding signage and tiled walls in the pathway and within the platform areas. The platforms received new concrete topping slabs to align them seamlessly with elevator landings and train entrances. The platforms now feature new tactile warning strips and indicate ADA boarding zones located directly in front of the trains’ doors.

A new ADA-compliant, accessible agent booth with a lower transaction window was added to the Seventh Avenue side of the station. The entire station features new wayfinding signage as well as new digital interactive Help Point screens that display arrival times and other relevant information about the subway system.

The station also features new access control centers consisting of turnstiles and emergency doors, which were included on the lower mezzanine of the Sixth Avenue side of the station and serve the newly created elevator access in that area. Outside the station, the New York City Department of Transportation designed sidewalk improvements, including curb cuts and street-level elevator access, which were built by the design-build team.