chapter 13: utilities a. introduction

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Chapter 13: Utilities

A. INTRODUCTION A number of subsurface utility lines and structures, both privately and publicly owned, are located beneath the Route 9A roadway within the project limits. These utility lines include combined sewers, interceptor sewers and regulator chambers; high- and low-pressure water mains; telephone ducts and cables; electric, gas and steam lines and; other structures such as the World Trade Center (WTC) Site river water cooling lines. Relocation and/or protection of these utilities would be required by and included in the No-Action, At-Grade or Short Bypass Alternatives. In addition, these utilities would require relocation and/or protection due to the construction of other Lower Manhattan Recovery Projects along the Route 9A corridor in the vicinity of the WTC Site. Specifically, these projects include the Permanent WTC Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) Terminal as well as the WTC Memorial and Redevelopment Plan. All utilities are permitted in the Route 9A right-of-way at the discretion of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Both publicly and privately owned utilities must relocate their facilities when required by highway reconstruction and/or maintenance. The specific utility involvement as related to the Route 9A Alternatives is discussed in this chapter. Relocation requirements and mitigation measures, to minimize impacts to the utilities and users and to assure continuous service, are also discussed.

The utility discussion that follows focuses on the Short Bypass Alternative, which has the most impacts on utilities—particularly relocations. It is the alternative with the most severe impacts, and therefore, the “worst case.” With the selection of the At-Grade Alternative as the Preferred Alternative, the extent of impacts is reduced, particularly in the 78-inch interceptor sewer and Verizon facilities in Route 9A. However extensive interagency and utility coordination will still be required to achieve and implement the mitigations presented at the end of this chapter. Implementation of “up front”/early action construction of utility relocations will be required to allow Lower Manhattan transportation projects to proceed in a coordinated, efficient, timely manner.

B. METHODOLOGY In addition to utility relocations for the Route 9A No-Action, At-Grade, and Short Bypass Alternatives, relocations in the Route 9A right-of-way and beyond would be required for the following Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) projects (see Figure 2-1):

• The permanent WTC PATH Terminal’s proposed pedestrian concourse beneath Route 9A;

• Possible relocation of the PATH ventilation system and emergency egress;

• LMDC’s proposed below-grade truck egress ramp from the WTC Site to Route 9A (Short Bypass Alternative);

Route 9A Project FSEIS

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• LMDC’s southern extension of the WTC South Site and slurry wall;

• Certain elements of the WTC Site Memorial and Freedom Tower construction; and

• The intake and discharge lines for the WTC Site river water cooling system.

These major improvements and their potential effects on utilities would be required for any Route 9A alternative, including the No-Action Alternative. Furthermore, there are common elements related to the utility relocations of these improvements and the Route 9A alternatives. Therefore, these projects and related utility relocations require careful coordination with the planning, design, and construction of any Route 9A alternative. Considering that the common goal of all Lower Manhattan Recovery Projects is for an efficient and coordinated process that minimizes the adverse effects of construction, an initial utility project could be undertaken to facilitate this process for relocating major utilities in the Route 9A corridor.

While there are many utilities in the Route 9A corridor, there are two major utility facilities in the area from West Thames Street to Chambers Street. These utilities are a New York Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) 78-inch combined (storm water and sanitary sewer) interceptor sewer line with regulator chambers and outfall sewers, and a network of complex ECS/Verizon ducts with communication lines that tie into the Verizon building at West and Vesey Streets.

The 1994 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Route 9A Reconstruction project considered the impacts of major utility relocations in the Battery Park City (BPC) segment of Route 9A for various at-grade alternatives and a depressed two-lane roadway alternative. The impacts and effects previously considered would be similar as for the No-Action, At-Grade and Short Bypass Alternatives.

C. EXISTING CONDITIONS There are numerous major and secondary utility lines in the Route 9A corridor between West Thames Street and Chambers Street that could be affected to varying degrees by the Route 9A Project Alternatives.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 and subsequent recovery efforts destroyed much of the highway and utility infrastructure in the area of greatest impact between Vesey and Liberty Streets. The existing six lane interim roadway between Cedar and Barclay Streets was constructed as an emergency measure to restore vehicular circulation in Lower Manhattan and allow the reopening of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (BBT). Utilities in this area were concurrently restored in a short period of time. Generally the utility replacements provide the same service as existed prior to September 11, 2001 and in some cases facilities for expansion were added by the utility companies.

PRE-SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 CONDITIONS

The construction of the 1994 FEIS Route 9A Reconstruction project Selected Alternative was almost complete on September 11, 2001. All utility relocation work was completed in accordance with the construction plans. Generally, between Albany and Murray Streets, existing utility facilities along Route 9A include combined interceptor and outfall sewers; high and low pressure water mains; telephone communication duct systems; electric lines; gas mains; steam mains; street lighting, traffic signal and ITS conduit systems; fire alarm communication lines; and river water cooling lines.


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A summary description of these underground utility and sewer systems is as follows:

• Sewers—NYCDEP maintains the sewer system in New York City. Storm and sanitary sewers are combined in this portion of Manhattan into a north–south 78-inch interceptor sewer line. During wet weather, when the capacity of the interceptor sewer is exceeded, excess combined storm and sanitary flows are diverted through regulator chambers and outfalls into the Hudson River.

• Water—NYCDEP maintains several major water main systems in the Route 9A corridor. These mains, varying in size up to 48 inches in diameter, generally run north and south under the roadway. A new 48-inch water main, located generally to the west of the southbound roadway, was installed as part of the Route 9A reconstruction project prior to September 11, 2001.

• River Water—PANYNJ has river water intake cooling and discharge lines adjacent to the WTC Site. These lines, which became inactive after September 11, 2001, include 66-inch and 60-inch diameter pipes that could be used to provide HVAC cooling water for the proposed development planned at the WTC Site. The discharge lines are similar in size and connect the site with sizeable discharge chambers at the west side of Route 9A Row.

• Communication—Verizon has a major switching station at the Verizon Building, 140 West Street (at Vesey Street). Hundreds of telephone conduits and cables exist in the southwest corner of this building and run north and south under Route 9A, as well as crossing Route 9A into Battery Park City. ECS owns most of the communication infrastructure and leases conduit space to Verizon as well as up to 15 other telecommunication companies. The communication lines between Vesey and Liberty Streets are housed in a pre-September 11, 2001 84-inch duct system.

• Electric—Consolidated Edison maintains high voltage power and electric service lines throughout the project limits running under Route 9A.

• Gas—Consolidated Edison maintains gas mains throughout the project limits, ranging in size from 6 to 16 inches. The gas mains run under and across Route 9A.

• Steam—Consolidated Edison has a 16-inch steam line under Route 9A from Vesey Street north to Murray Street Crossing.

• New York City Fire Alarm Communications—The New York City Fire Department, Division of Fire Communications maintains underground fire alarm communications facilities within the Route 9A corridor. Underground alarm communications cable is housed in both Fire Department and Empire City Subway manholes and conduit, serving fire alarm call boxes at major intersection.

• NYSDOT Traffic Signal/Lighting/ITS Systems—The 1994 Route 9A Preferred Alternative provided for a new traffic signal system that is connected to the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Traffic Control Center. Signal timing, including signal progression for peak hour flow, is determined at a traffic control center and initiated through a computerized control system linked to the controllers. Connection to electrical lines for street lighting is also provided. An ongoing Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) contract for reconstructed Route 9A included ITS elements for the entire section from Battery Place to 59th Street.


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POST-SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 CONDITIONS

As a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks several underground utility systems were damaged and rendered non-operational. The utilities most affected were the ECS/Verizon telephone/communication lines, Consolidated Edison electrical lines and WTC HVAC cooling lines as well as the Consolidated Edison substation at the 7 WTC Site. Immediate replacement, relocation and upgrading of these utilities took place after September 11, 2001. Essentially the same utility systems that existed were restored, relocated (if required), and upgraded (if necessary) and are functioning at this time. A 96-inch duct ECS/Verizon system and Con Ed primary lines were installed along the west side between Liberty and Vesey Streets.

To determine the exact status of the utility infrastructure, a composite existing utility base plan was prepared for the project area utilizing information from various New York City agencies, privately owned utility companies, and NYSDOT as-built records. A topographic survey of the area was also completed and an extensive test pit program was undertaken to verify key utility locations, to resolve location discrepancies among the sources of data and to record utility related modifications made during the recovery process. A composite of the utility systems has been developed.

In addition the Port Authority has, with the support of NYSDOT, prepared a composite utility base for the street systems surrounding the WTC Site including West Street. The base system mapping has been expanded to include the streets south of Liberty Street to encompass the proposed WTC South Site.

D. FUTURE CONDITIONS COMMON TO ALL ALTERNATIVES The LMDC WTC Memorial and Redevelopment Plan and PANYNJ Permanent PATH Terminal are currently being evaluated in two separate environmental impact statements. The existing utilities and their required relocations for each of the Route 9A Alternatives as well as for LMDC and PANYNJ projects will continue to be examined using the post-September 11, 2001 baseline plan. The projects by LMDC and PANYNJ include many features that affect the utility infrastructure in the Route 9A corridor as described below:

WTC MEMORIAL AND REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

An FGEIS was prepared for the proposed project by LMDC and a ROD was published in June 2004. Elements of the project requiring coordination with Route 9A include: the southerly extension of the WTC Site bathtub to Cedar and Albany Streets for a truck security control zone; a truck egress ramp from that zone into the Route 9A right-of-way; retention and extension of the WTC Site slurry wall; the WTC Site Memorial; the Freedom Tower; as well as the possible relocation of the site’s large water intake/discharge lines. Relocation of various utility systems, including the 78-inch interceptor sewer and ECS/Verizon telephone/communication ducts/lines could be affected by these elements of the LMDC plan.

PERMANENT WTC PATH TERMINAL

A temporary PATH terminal was completed in November 2003. To facilitate pedestrian connections across Route 9A, a temporary NYSDOT-constructed Vesey Street pedestrian bridge was also completed for terminal access. The permanent WTC PATH Terminal under study includes a proposed underground pedestrian concourse beneath Route 9A, which would link the new terminal with BPC near the WFC. Similar utility impacts/relocations would be expected for


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this element of the PATH project as noted for the LMDC projects. Other elements of the proposed permanent PATH project that could affect utility relocations in the Route 9A corridor include possible ventilation systems and emergency egress stairs for each PATH tube.

OTHER PROJECTS

In addition to these major recovery projects, there is an on-going NYSDOT construction contract to provide Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) for Route 9A. The ITS features include closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, video image detectors (VIDS) and traffic controllers, fiber optic cable, and related items. The NYSDOT ITS project originally included the project section of Route 9A south of Chambers Street to Battery Place. However, after September 11, 2001 the proposed work south of Chambers Street was deleted pending future plans in this area. ITS work south of West Thames Street has now been reactivated and will connect to the ITS system north of Chambers Street via a conduit through the Route 9A section of this FSEIS project. The ITS system will be expanded to include the project area for any Route 9A alternative selected.

All of the above projects are compatible with the proposed Route 9A alternatives and they all require some utility relocations independent of the required Route 9A alternative relocations. Continued coordination with the planned projects is required to assure efficient and timely utility relocations/protection. As discussed in Chapter 3, “Construction Practices,” the Governor and Mayor have appointed a construction coordinator to assist in the overall construction coordination of Lower Manhattan Redevelopment.

E. PROBABLE IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT ALTERNATIVES The Route 9A alternatives as well as the LMDC and PANYNJ projects would affect existing utilities in the Route 9A roadway. The utility work associated with roadway reconstruction consists of utility relocations and extensions and potential betterments (i.e., replacement with improved service value) if desired and funded by the utility owners. Generally, roadway reconstruction does not disrupt utility services because the existing utility service is maintained until the replacement line/facility is completed and ready for use.

All municipally owned facilities that require relocation/protection due to the roadway construction would be replaced in-kind and the associated costs would be attributed to the Route 9A project. Extensions, betterments, or other improvements for municipal utilities included in the Route 9A project but not necessitated by the roadway construction would be paid for by the owner (NYC). Private facilities within the right-of-way—such as those owned by Consolidated Edison, Empire City Subway, Verizon, etc.—that are either impacted or relocated, or improved in conjunction with the Route 9A project would have to be paid for by the utility owner in accordance with current New York State laws governing privately owned utilities.

NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE UTILITY RELOCATIONS

The No Action Alternative essentially leaves the existing roadway in place with minimal depth of excavation or fill required for minor improvements (new pavement and narrow median, median barrier removal, etc.). Therefore, the existing utility infrastructure would remain unchanged except some drainage, lighting, hydrant, and signal revisions would be necessary to connect to the existing system. Utility relocations may also be required wherever tree planting would occur. However, the LMDC and PANYNJ projects noted above, would affect existing utilities in the Route 9A right-of-way, therefore utility relocations would still be required for the


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No-Action Alternative. The required relocations would be similar to these described below for the Short Bypass and At-Grade Alternatives.

AT-GRADE ALTERNATIVE UTILITY RELOCATIONS

The At-Grade Alternative is similar to the No Action Alternative in that minimal depth of excavation is required to add lanes and shift alignment; however, it is anticipated that the grade will be raised by over 5 feet in some areas. The relocation/protection required for this alternative would be similar to that for the No Action Alternative with the exception of required relocations due to Route 9A alignment changes. Because of the added fill due to the grade change, it is anticipated that smaller water mains (12-, 16- and 20-inch) as well as gas mains (12- and 16-inch) will require relocation. Relocation of the drainage system (catch basins, etc) to reflect the new curb line location and grades will also impact existing utility lines. Elements that are expected to impact utility systems that are located close to the surface include tree planters (as well as urban design elements and security features in the median and sidewalk/promenade area), the new curbing system, and the 27-inch thick Route 9A pavement section. The extent of utility conflicts have been estimated at $10 million and will be identified in more detail as the design progresses. As is the case for the No-Action Alternative the LMDC and PANYNJ projects would require significant utility relocations, with some relocations similar to those described below for the Short Bypass Alternative.

SHORT BYPASS ALTERNATIVE UTILITY RELOCATIONS

The following utility relocations would be required for the construction of the Route 9A Short Bypass Alternative and for the LMDC and PANYNJ projects noted above. The Route 9A Short Bypass Alternative and the LMDC/PANYNJ projects require substantial below grade excavation affecting many utilities in the area. Many typical utility and sewer excavations would be approximately 10-feet deep. However the relocation of the 78-inch interceptor sewer would reach excavations to a depth of approximate elevation minus 20, as would the pedestrian concourse and PATH vent alternatives, while excavations for river water cooling lines beneath the bypass would reach greater depths. A number of facilities would also be pile supported.

As described in Chapter 6, “Cultural Resources,” construction activities related to utility relocations in the Short Bypass Alternative could affect segments of the Hudson River Bulkhead. Aside from the bulkhead, no other historic-period resources were identified in the Area of Potential Effect (APE). Although prehistoric resources were identified in the Route 9A roadbed as part of the 1994 FEIS, it was determined as part of the FGEIS for the WTC Memorial and Redevelopment Plan that the Route 9A corridor has no potential for prehistoric resources as such resources would have been destroyed by exposure to elements along the Hudson River Shoreline. Therefore, the Hudson River Bulkhead is the only archaeological resource in the APE.

NYCDEP 78-INCH INTERCEPTOR SEWER SYSTEM

The Short Bypass depressed roadway for Route 9A would require the relocation of the 78-inch interceptor sewer system between Barclay Street and Cedar Street (see Figure 13-1). The current planning is for the interceptor to be relocated parallel to and adjacent to the west wall of the Short Bypass depressed section. Continuing coordination with NYCDEP and PANYNJ is required to finalize this location as it may conflict with the proposed PATH Concourse, ventilation improvements, and/or the WTC Site egress ramp or other utilities.

West Thames Street to Chambers Street

ROUTE 9A PROJECT - LOWER MANHATTAN REDEVELOPMENTD015183, PIN NYCD.01.322 FINAL SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Short Bypass AlternativeSewer Lines Relocation Plan

FIGURE 13-105/13/05

RELOCATED REGULATOR M5/TIDE GATE

RELOCATED SANITARY &OUTFALL SEWER SYSTEM

RELOCATED COLLECTION SEWER SYSTEM

RELOCATED 78”INTERCEPTORSEWER SYSTEM

CONNECT TO EXISTINGINTERCEPTOR, INV. -19.0+/-

Note:Further coordination with NYCDEP required

CONNECT TO EXISTINGINTERCEPTOR -18.0

REVERSE SEWER DIRECTION & INCREASE SIZERELOCATION OF SEWER SYSTEMIN PLANNING BY NYCDEP/PANY&NJ

SLURRY WALLEXTENSION(BY OTHERS)


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The sewer relocation plan diverts the flow and relocates the 48-inch combined sewer discharging from Vesey Street to the north around the Short Bypass to the existing 98- by 63-inch sewer in Vesey Street west of Route 9A. As part of the work, Regulator #M-5 would be replaced with the system rerouted around the north side of the Route 9A depressed roadway. The combined sewer in West Street would be a 4-foot-0-inch by 4-foot-0-inch flat top sewer between Vesey Street and Barclay Street, and a 8-foot-0-inch by 5-foot-0-inch flat top sewer from Barclay Street to the new Regulator #M-5. The overflow from Regulator #M-5 would be directed to the Vesey Street outfall via a new 8-foot-0-inch by 5-foot-0-inch combined sewer. A new tide gate would be constructed on the 8-foot-0-inch by 5-foot-0-inch combined sewer. It is envisioned that local surface flows would be collected at the roadways and directed to relatively small storm systems.

At the south end of the Short Bypass, the outfall just south of Cedar Street and associated regulator #M-6 may require some adjustments. No siphons are required.

The relocation plan anticipates that drainage from the Short Bypass depressed roadway and drainage from the WTC Site would connect to current outfall locations via a new, separate piping system.

VERIZON/ECS TELEPHONE/COMMUNICATION DUCTS AND LINES

There is an original north-south 84-duct trunkline that existed pre-September 11, 2001 (still in use today) and a new 96-duct installed as an upgrade-in-capacity post-September 11, 2001. The relocation of major portions of this duct system will be required by the WTC Site extension south of Liberty Street, the truck egress ramp system (with the Short Bypass Alternative), and pedestrian concourse as well as the proposed Route 9A Short Bypass Alternative (see Figure 13-2). The depressed roadway would cut off both systems where they cross Route 9A from the Verizon building at Vesey Street to feed the north and south trunklines as well as Battery Park City to the west. Both duct systems would also conflict with the Short Bypass Alternative at Liberty Street where they cross Route 9A from west to east. In order to accommodate the WTC Site and Route 9A alternatives, the existing systems are rerouted in a manner which would provide service to all destination points in the current network with provisions for planned development.

The relocation plan developed for the Short Bypass Alternative maintains a portion of the existing duct systems between manholes on the west side of the bypass structure. Under this west corridor relocation plan, all ducts originating from the Verizon Building heading south are re-directed north to Murray Street around the bypass to the west side before proceeding south. Special consideration will be necessary for the large duct bank sizes, numerous manholes and avoiding conflicts with the PATH concourse, the truck egress ramp, and cooling line relocations. Water main, gas main, steam main, and electric line re-alignments would also be included to provide room for the relocated sewer and communication systems.

Extensive coordination will be required with the PANYNJ, NYC, and Verizon/ECS to find appropriate facility locations around the south end of the WTC Site to replace the facilities affected by LMDC/PANYNJ in Liberty Street.

CON ED ELECTRICAL STEAM, AND GAS LINES

These utility lines, owned by Con Ed, will require various relocations related to the Route 9A alternatives and the LMDC/PANYNJ project work (see Figures 13-3 and 13-4). Extensive



Short Bypass AlternativeCommunication Lines Relocation Plan

FIGURE 13-205/13/05


RELOCATED TELEPHONESYSTEM

NEW CONNECTION TOVERIZON

RELOCATED TELEPHONESYSTEM

Note:Further coordination with Verizon required

CONNECT TO EXISTING M.H.

SYSTEMS BETWEEN M.H.’sTO BE RETAINED

REMOVE EXISTING SYSTEM AFTERCABLE SPLICING BY VERIZON

REMOVE EXISTING SYSTEM AFTER CABLESPLICING BY VERIZON

CONNECT TO AND EXPANDEXISTING M.H.

RELOCATION OF LIBERTY ST. SYSTEMIN PLANNING BY ECS / VERIZON / PANY&NJ



Short Bypass AlternativeElectric Lines Relocation Plan

FIGURE 13-305/13/05

EXISTING ELECTRIC LINESTO BE ABANDONED

CONNECT TO EXISTING M.H.

RELOCATEDELECTRICALSYSTEM RELOCATED

ELECTRICALSYSTEM

NEW M.H.

Note:Further coordination with Con Edison required


RELOCATION OF ELECTRICAL LINESIN PLANNING BY CON ED / PANY&NJ



Short Bypass AlternativeGas & Steam Lines Relocation Plan

FIGURE 13-405/13/05

Note:Further coordination with Con Edison required

RELOCATION OF GAS LINES INPLANNING BY CON ED / PANY&NJ


EXISTING GAS MAINTO BE ABANDONED

RELOCATEDGAS SYSTEM

PROPOSED STEAMMAIN OFFSETS


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coordination will be required with Con Ed, the PANYNJ, LMDC, and NYC to satisfactorily address these relocations.

NYCDEP WATER MAINS

NYCDEP maintains water supply mains and services within the Route 9A corridor. Within the project area, NYCDEP maintains one 12-inch and one 20-inch low-pressure ductile iron water main and one 48-inch steel trunkline main. The existing 12-inch and 48-inch mains are located immediately west of the proposed Short Bypass section and would require partial re-alignment in front of the World Financial Center (see Figure 13-5). The existing 20-inch main between Liberty and Vesey Streets is located within the alignment of the proposed depressed roadway and would require relocation. A new 20-inch water main is proposed to be placed west of the Short Bypass and reconnected to existing systems north and south of the Short Bypass at Murray and Albany Streets. The relocated 20-inch main would connect to existing mains east of the Short Bypass at Albany, Cedar, Liberty, Vesey, Barclay, and Murray Streets and to existing mains west of the Short Bypass at Liberty, Albany, and Vesey Streets under all alternatives. New hydrants would be placed along the surface streets spaced not to exceed 250 feet and connected to the low-pressure mains via 6-inch ductile iron pipe laterals.

CONSOLIDATED EDISON ELECTRICAL, STEAM AND GAS LINES

These utility lines, owned by Consolidated Edison, will require various relocations related to the Route 9A alternatives and the LMDC/PANYNJ project work (see Figures 13-3 and 13-4). Extensive coordination will be required with Con Ed, the PANYNJ, LMDC, and NYC to satisfactorily address these relocations.

PANYNJ RIVER WATER INTAKE AND DISCHARGE LINES

The River Water Intake and Discharge Lines served the HVAC system for the WTC. Currently these lines are not in use, however, it is anticipated that the system would be required in the reconstructed site. The intake lines pump water from the Hudson River from a pump station located at the Hudson River esplanade at the foot of Liberty Street. Twin 66-inch diameter pipes extend from the pump station east in Liberty Street and extend across Route 9A to the WTC Site. The water would be introduced into the HVAC system, used, and then discharged into the water courses over the PATH tubes at the World Financial Center.

Coordination with PANYNJ is ongoing but it is anticipated that the intake and discharge lines will be rebuilt as part of the new WTC Site plan and/or the new PATH terminal/concourse project and would be compatible with all Route 9A alternatives. The lines would need to be located under the No-Action and At-Grade surface lanes and under the Short Bypass structure. As part of coordination with PANYNJ, the Freedom Tower and Memorial, new systems, and relocation of other utility systems will be identified as the design is progressed.

NYCDOT STREET LIGHTING/TRAFFIC SIGNALS/COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEM

NYCDOT maintains street lighting/traffic signal utilities within the Route 9A corridor. The existing lighting and traffic signal system is connected at designated points along the corridor to existing Consolidated Edison electric distribution facilities. The traffic signal system has controllers at each signalized intersection which, through lane-sensitive loop detectors in the roadway pavement, allows NYCDOT to remotely monitor traffic volumes, queuing, and other



Short Bypass AlternativeWater Main Relocation Plan

FIGURE 13-505/13/05

Note:Further coordination with NYCDEP required


RELOCATION OF WATER LINES INPLANNING BY NYCDEP / PANY&NJ

RELOCATED WATERMAIN SYSTEM

EXISTING WATER MAINTO BE ABANDONED

RELOCATE WATERMAIN SYSTEM


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traffic factors. The monitoring data is sent to the traffic control center in Queens to make appropriate adjustments in signal timing and progression to minimize vehicle delay.

Because of the re-alignment of the surface streets proposed in conjunction with all alternatives, all affected light poles, signal poles and interconnect conduit system would be replaced. Due to project-related Consolidated Edison electric facility relocations, new electric service feeds would be required to serve the new signal and lighting systems.

NYC FIRE ALARM COMMUNICATIONS

The New York City Fire Department, Division of Fire Communications maintains underground fire alarm communications facilities within the Route 9A corridor. Underground alarm communications cable is housed in both Fire Department and Empire City Subway manholes and conduit, serving fire alarm call boxes at major intersections. Because of the planned re-alignment of surface streets proposed for all Route 9A alternatives, all affected fire alarm posts and conduit feeds would be replaced.

F. MITIGATION There are several mitigation measures that can be used to mitigate the extensive utility relocations involved with the Route 9A alternatives and the interrelated LMDC WTC Site improvements and PATH terminal/concourse projects discussed above. Some measures can be applied to the specific, required relocations while others pertain more to policy and coordination/planning issues (before and during construction) involved with these relocations. The following discussion on mitigation is separated into these categories.

1. Specific Measures – Construction Phase

The impacts of selecting any Route 9A alternative (No-Action, At-Grade, Short Bypass) will necessitate the relocation/protection of numerous utilities in the existing Route 9A right-of-way. The specific relocation impacts and replacement mitigation are discussed in Section E, “Probable Impacts.” Specific mitigation measures for the impacts essentially consist of the relocation/protection of the utility facilities to fully replace the services of those utilities. An additional important mitigation consideration to the relocation is that the utility services will be fully maintained during the construction of any alternative and no disruptive service interruptions would be allowed. Some minor, short term, off-peak service interruptions would be necessary to connect existing service lines to the new relocated facilities.

Additional specific mitigation measures for the utility relocations are included for all applicable construction stage environmental concerns including air quality, cultural resources, contaminated materials, noise, water resources and cumulative effects. The specific evaluation of these impact areas and mitigation measures are included in the respective chapters of this FSEIS.

2. Policy Measures–All Phases

Current NY State law specifies the terms, conditions, and funding considerations regarding the relocation of both municipal and privately owned utilities located within the highway right-of-way. Relocation costs for municipal utilities in the Route 9A right-of-way will be reimbursed as part of the project funding. Betterment costs (improvements beyond the current capacity) associated with any municipal relocation


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must be borne by the municipal owner agency. Privately owned utilities are allowed within the Route 9A right-of-way but all costs for relocation must be borne by the privately owned utility company. Therefore, the relocation cost for municipal utilities is mitigated by the Route 9A project funding. Continued coordination with Empire State Development Corporation, HUD, LMDC, and others will seek ways to improve the funding of relocations for all utilities.

3. Coordination/Planning Measures–Design Phase

As discussed in the sections above, the interrelationship of the required relocations for the Route 9A project and other LMDC, PANYNJ and NYC-sponsored projects in the same area requires a high degree of continuing interagency coordination. The ongoing coordination effort will provide mitigation by:

• Avoiding/reducing risk of multiple relocations

• Providing optimal staging/phasing of utility relocations and proposed projects construction

• Reducing costs and delays to project sponsors and utility companies

An additional important mitigation measure is the ongoing consideration in developing a potential Pre-Stage 1 utility project to relocate utilities for the Route 9A project, applicable to any selected alternative, and other area projects, ahead of the main construction effort. Early action utility relocation could be necessary to meet overall schedules, recognizing the long lead time and labor intensive operations for telecommunication and cable splicing. An early start for relocation of utilities will expedite the actual project(s) construction by clearing the right-of-way for new construction. Performing the complicated major utility relocations during construction would delay the entire process.

While the utility relocations required are complex, the impacts to the public would be minimal for construction of any of the Route 9A alternatives. The mitigation measures outlined are a part of the Route 9A project development and design with coordination with other project sponsors (LMDC, PANYNJ) for their involved projects.

chapter 13: utilities a. introduction

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