As part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) citywide flood-prevention plan, new subway vents are being installed on West Broadway. Sixteen ventilation grates along the downtown 1 subway line, now flush with the sidewalk, will be replaced by grates six inches taller. The added height will divert sidewalk water runoff from flowing into the subway tunnel.
To prevent the higher grates from becoming a pedestrian tripping hazard, MTA hired Grimshaw Architects to design modular, attachable bike racks and benches. The benches, technically more like perches, will affix to both ends of each grate. Between them will be six stainless-steel bike racks bolted onto the grates, designed for bikes to be “hitched” at a slightly diagonal angle to minimize their space on the sidewalk.
The project was completed in April 2009.
Click here for a tour of the rebuilding projects taking place in Lower Manhattan.
For more information about this project, call the MTA's hotline at (646) 252-2670, or visit www.mta.info to submit questions via email. MTA construction alerts can be found here.
The prototype was installed on the east side of West Broadway between Thomas and Worth Street in September 2008. Additional grate installation was completed in late April 2009.
The new ventilation grates are being installed in different forms around the city where flooding most often occurs -- the majority of locations are in Queens.
Click here for answers to commonly asked construction questions.
Click here for answers to commonly asked construction questions.
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