Jersey barriers repainted with zebra stripes, is one of the three projects

Lower Manhattan is now home to a new and unusual visual marriage: construction and art. The combination is on display at the main site of the Fulton Street Transit Center project, where new fencing, decorated Jersey barriers, and an especially angular take on a sidewalk shed are sprucing up a fully active work site.

The new public art is part of a campaign launched this week by the Alliance for Downtown New York in partnership with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Called "Re:Construction," the program puts an unexpected artistic face on otherwise merely practical traffic barricades and safety components. With more than $20 billion invested in several dozen private and public projects south of Canal Street, "Re:Construction" gives the creative community a distinct outlet for displaying art at local construction sites.

The first glimpses of the three new public-art elements are on Broadway at and between Fulton and John Streets -- one of the busiest intersections in the country's fourth-largest business district. Jersey barriers that guide vehicles safely down Broadway south of Fulton are now repainted with orange zebra stripes -- a concept artist Tattfoo Tan calls "Concrete Jungle."

Fencing along the Fulton Street sidewalk, devised by a trio of Venezuelan architects and new-media designers, turns existing orange, yellow, and green construction meshes into vibrant new patterns. Atop the fences are industrial caution lights and colorful collaged signage.

At the base of the Corbin Building, a landmark skyscraper that will be rehabilitated and incorporated into the new Transit Center complex, stands GRO Architects' multi-colored "Best Pedestrian Route." A freestanding, pre-fabricated structure, the modular sidewalk shed replaces the conventional version, bringing with it new lighting for better nighttime visibility and safety.

The elements that comprise "Re:Construction" will be reconfigured by contractors as construction activity evolves. The Alliance expects the program to expand in the future, though no specific dates or locations have yet been announced.

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