228-405: East River East Side Access ( ESA ) is a public works project in New York City that extended the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) two miles from its Main Line in Queens to the new Grand Central Madison station under Grand Central Terminal on Manhattan 's East Side . The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) project was originally scheduled to open in 2009 but
456-467: A geyser of water 250 feet (76 m) in the air. The blast has been described as "the largest planned explosion before testing began for the atomic bomb", although the detonation at the Battle of Messines in 1917 was larger. Some of the rubble from the detonation was used in 1890 to fill the gap between Great Mill Rock and Little Mill Rock, merging the two islands into a single island, Mill Rock . At
684-573: A "Grand Central Alternative" was published in September 1976. It called for the LIRR to use Grand Central Terminal's lower level instead. In 1977, the MTA's board of directors voted to use Grand Central as the terminal for the proposed LIRR route. Due to the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis , the LIRR project was canceled long before the tunnel was completed. The New York Times noted that the lower level of
912-617: A "playground for the rich and famous", with some of the wealthiest communities in the United States. In 2015, according to Business Insider , the 11962 zip code encompassing Sagaponack , within Southampton , was listed as the most expensive in the U.S. by real estate-listings site Property Shark, with a median home sale price of $ 5,125,000. During the summer season, many celebrities and the wealthy visit or reside in mansions and waterfront homes, while others spend weekends enjoying
1140-423: A 2,400-square-foot (220 m) pocket park, at 48 East 50th Street between Madison and Park Avenues, created along with a $ 97 million ventilation facility at that location. The pocket park, known as 50th Street Commons, has a capacity of 100 people standing, or 40 people sitting down. The park, containing abundant greenery along a granite backdrop with tables and chairs, was meant to reduce noise pollution from
1368-509: A bridge built in that location from Manhattan to Queens. The Queensboro Bridge was eventually built south of this location. In 2011, NY Waterway started operating its East River Ferry line. The route was a 7-stop East River service that runs in a loop between East 34th Street and Hunters Point , making two intermediate stops in Brooklyn and three in Queens. The ferry, an alternative to
1596-409: A bypass for westbound trains. Around $ 295 million was allocated for the bypass in 2011, and work on this project started in 2013. However, by October 2015, the tunnels were behind schedule because Amtrak and the MTA could not cooperate on track access schedules. These delays ultimately raised construction costs by almost $ 1 billion as of April 2018, and in a report that month, the MTA attributed
1824-522: A city surveyor, but with emphasis on solving the problem of Hell Gate. Serrell proposed filling in Hell Gate and building a "New East River" through Queens with an extension to Westchester County . Serrell's plan – which he publicized with maps, essay and lectures as well as presentations to the city, state and federal governments – would have filled in the river from 14th Street to 125th Street. The New East River through Queens would be about three times
2052-464: A conveyor belt system were constructed behind the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and through the 63rd Street Tunnels to the Queens bellmouth. Due to its shape, the Queens work site was nicknamed the " Q-tip ". Pile Foundation Construction Company built an $ 83 million cut structure, which extends the tracks under Northern Boulevard into the Sunnyside Yard. It created an area that served as
2280-399: A farmer collecting 20 oxcarts worth of menhaden using simple fishing nets deployed from the shore. The combination of more sewage, due to the availability of more potable water – New York's water consumption per capita was twice that of Europe – indoor plumbing, the destruction of filter feeders, and the collapse of the food chain, damaged the ecosystem of the waters around New York, including
2508-512: A grid in 1803 in his A Plan and Regulation of the City of New York , which was rejected by the city, but established the concept – the coastline become regularized at the same time that the strait became even narrower. One result of the narrowing of the East River along the shoreline of Manhattan and, later, Brooklyn – which continued until the mid-19th century when the state put a stop to it –
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#17327724976292736-573: A groundbreaking ceremony was held to celebrate the emergence of the project into Grand Central Terminal. On January 27, 2016, the final major contract for the construction of East Side Access was awarded to Tutor Perini Corporation. The contract was for the construction of four railroad platforms and eight tracks for the new Grand Central Terminal. The first tracks inside the 63rd Street Tunnel were laid in September 2017. The pre-cast platforms inside Grand Central Terminal were completed in May 2018, followed by
2964-543: A high degree of economic interconnection. The New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area had an estimated population of 23.7 million as of 2014. About one out of every fifteen Americans resides in this region, which includes eight additional counties in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. This area, less the Pennsylvania portion, is often referred to as the tri-state area and less commonly
3192-640: A joint American–Spanish venture whose American headquarters were in College Point, Queens , close to the East Side Access site. The total contract award was $ 428 million and used two large tunnel boring machines . After Hurricane Sandy flooded the East River Tunnels between Queens and Penn Station in 2012, officials prioritized the construction of East Side Access so that LIRR trains could be diverted to Grand Central, allowing
3420-399: A land area of just 305 square miles (790 km ), New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. A global power city , New York City exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, health care and life sciences , media, dining, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace defining the term New York minute . Home to
3648-663: A large public park, a number of public institutions, and the supports for the Triborough and the Hell Gate Bridges ; the Bronx's Rikers Island , once under 100 acres (0.40 km ) but now over 400 acres (1.6 km ) following extensive landfill expansion after the island's 1884 purchase by the city as a prison farm and still home to New York City's massive and controversial primary jail complex; and North and South Brother Islands , both of which also constitute part of
3876-407: A long (2-mile (3.2 km)) and narrow (800 feet (240 m)) landmass, lies in the stretch of the river between Manhattan Island and the borough of Queens , roughly from the latitude of Manhattan's East 46th to 86th Streets. The abrupt termination of the island on its north end is due to an extension of the 125th Street Fault . Politically, the island's 147 acres (0.59 km ) constitute part of
4104-626: A margin of 55% to 44%. The federal government committed to provide $ 2.6 billion to help build the project by signing a full funding grant agreement in December 2006. The construction contract for a 1-mile (1.6 km) tunnel in Manhattan westward and southward from the dormant lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel to the new 100-foot-deep (30 m) station beneath Grand Central Terminal was awarded in July 2006. The contract went to Dragados/Judlau,
4332-460: A massive office complex in New York's Financial District whose iconic, 110-story Twin Towers for a short time stood as the world's tallest buildings. In the 1980s, the city's economy was booming, particularly in the financial sector. Wall Street was fueling an economic surge in the real estate market, and later the dot-com bubble . Despite this, crime was still an issue. This was exacerbated by
4560-701: A mix of rain and snow. Although prevailing winds in winter are offshore, and temper the moderating effects of the Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic and the partial shielding by the Appalachians from colder air keep the New York area warmer in the winter than inland North American metropolitan areas located at similar or lesser latitudes including Pittsburgh , Cincinnati , and Indianapolis . Warm periods with 50 °F (10 °C)+ temperatures may occasionally occur during winter as well. The hardiness zone in
4788-412: A new LIRR terminal beneath Grand Central. Excluding storage tunnels, the project is about 4 miles (6.4 km) long, consisting of 5,500 ft (1,700 m) of new route in Queens, 8,600 ft (2,600 m) of preexisting route under the 63rd Street Tunnel, and 7,200 ft (2,200 m) of new route in Manhattan. On the Queens side, four tunnels merge into two tracks and enter the lower level of
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#17327724976295016-610: A new northern entrance leading to the center, and the Second Avenue Subway , among other transit services. The new LIRR line was to branch off from existing lines in Sunnyside, Queens , and enter Manhattan using the new two-level 63rd Street Tunnel . The upper level was to be used by the New York City Subway 's 63rd Street lines and the lower level was to be used by the LIRR. According to renderings of
5244-419: A new retail and dining concourse with 25 retail spaces. There are two caverns containing one platform and two tracks on each of two levels; a mezzanine is located between the two platform levels. The LIRR terminal is accessed via stairwells, 22 elevators, and 47 escalators connecting to the existing food court at the lower level of Grand Central. The number of elevators in this terminal exceeds the 19 escalators in
5472-417: A number of shipwrecks, including HMS Hussar , a British frigate that sank in 1780 while supposedly carrying gold and silver intended to pay British troops. The stretch has since been cleared of rocks and widened. Washington Irving wrote of Hell Gate that the current sounded "like a bull bellowing for more drink" at half tide, while at full tide it slept "as soundly as an alderman after dinner". He said it
5700-448: A point 400 feet beyond the low-water mark; the parts that had already been expanded to the low water mark – much of which had been devastated by a coastal storm in the early 1720s and a nor'easter in 1723 – were also expanded, narrowing the channel even further. What had been quiet beach land was to become new streets and buildings, and the core of the city's sea-borne trade. This infilling went as far north as Corlear's Hook . In addition,
5928-491: A roof over it on stilts, and build boulevards and pedestrian lanes on the roof along with "majestic structures", with transportation services below. The East River's course would, once again, be shifted to run through Queens, and this time Brooklyn as well, to channel it to the Harbor. Periodically, merchants and other interested parties would try to get something done about the difficulty of navigating through Hell Gate. In 1832,
6156-675: A single city in 1898. The newly unified New York City encouraged both more physical connections between the boroughs and the growth of bedroom communities . The New York City Subway began operating in 1904 as the Interborough Rapid Transit Company , one of three systems (the other two being the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation and the Independent Subway System ) that were later taken over by
6384-427: A slight reduction in peak service. Additionally, reconfiguration of the track layout of Jamaica station will require Brooklyn-bound riders to perform up-and-over transfers to a new Platform F; this has been criticized as being much less convenient than cross-platform transfers, especially for disabled customers. Riders have also criticized the elimination of timed connections at Jamaica, which will no longer be built into
6612-519: A third track was added to the plans for the 63rd Street subway tunnel in April 1966. The track would serve LIRR trains to east Midtown, alleviating train traffic into Penn Station on Manhattan's west side while integrating the LIRR with the subway. A fourth track was added to the plans in August 1966 after it was determined that LIRR trains would be too large to run on subway tracks. This amendment increased
6840-461: A two-level station 100 feet (30.5 m) below street level. It was built in conjunction with several other LIRR expansion projects, including an additional track along parts of the Main Line . The project was intended to remove or reduce the need for subway transfers for a large number of riders with jobs on the east side of Manhattan. Previously, the only Manhattan stop for trains from Long Island
7068-527: Is 5,571 inhabitants per square mile (2,151/km ). If Long Island geographically constituted an independent metropolitan statistical area, it would rank fourth most populous in the United States; while if it were a U.S. state, Long Island would rank 13th in population and first in population density . Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world. The Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, with an estimated population of 770,367 in 2016,
East Side Access - Misplaced Pages Continue
7296-421: Is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy . Large-scale immigration into New York was a result of a large demand for manpower. A cosmopolitan attitude in the city created tolerance for various cultures and ethnic groups. German, Irish, and Italian immigrants were among the largest ethnic groups. Today, many of their descendants continue to live in the region. Cultural buildings such as
7524-535: Is a saltwater tidal estuary or strait in New York City . The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island , with the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens , from Manhattan Island, and from the Bronx on the North American mainland. Because of its connection to Long Island Sound, it
7752-569: Is a suburban and rural region of New York , much of the Gateway Region is highly urbanized. The entirety of Hudson County, eastern Essex County, southern Passaic County as well as Elizabeth in Union County are all densely populated areas. Central Jersey is the middle portion of New Jersey . It generally comprises the following counties: Notable municipalities in the region include Trenton (the state capital of New Jersey and
7980-611: Is at the heart of the metropolitan area, the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT Urbanized Area , which had a land area of 3,450 square miles in 2010 according to the 2010 census. The New York State portion of the metropolitan area, which includes the five boroughs of New York City, the lower Hudson Valley, and Long Island, accounts for over 65 percent of the state's population. New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (19,043,386) Combined statistical areas (CSAs) group together adjacent core-based statistical areas with
8208-557: Is dotted with the ruins of older structures). The largest land mass in the River south of Roosevelt Island is U Thant Island , an artificial islet created during the construction of the Steinway Tunnel (which currently serves the subway's 7 and <7> lines) . Officially named Belmont Island after one of the tunnel's financiers, the landmass owes its popular name (after Burmese diplomat U Thant , former Secretary-General of
8436-601: Is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The 23-county MSA includes 10 counties in New York State (coextensive with the five boroughs of New York, the two remaining counties of Long Island , and three counties in the Lower Hudson Valley ); 12 counties in Northern and Central New Jersey ; and one county in northeastern Pennsylvania . The largest urbanized area in the United States
8664-717: Is joined by the Bronx Kill . Along the east of Wards Island, at approximately the strait's midpoint, it narrows into a channel called Hell Gate , which is spanned by both the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (formerly the Triborough), and the Hell Gate Bridge . On the south side of Wards Island, it is joined by the Harlem River . Newtown Creek on Long Island, which itself contained several tributaries, drains into
8892-600: Is known for its varied landscape and natural beauty, and contains five of the top ten richest places in America, according to Bloomberg . These are Scarsdale, New York ; Short Hills, New Jersey ; Old Greenwich, Connecticut ; Bronxville, New York ; and Darien, Connecticut . The New York metropolitan region's higher education network comprises hundreds of colleges and universities, including campuses of four Ivy League universities : Columbia , Princeton , Yale , and Cornell (at Cornell Tech and Weill Cornell Medicine );
9120-567: Is larger than that of the state of New York, and the metropolitan airspace accommodated over 130 million passengers in 2016. As of 2022 , the New York metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan economy in the world , with a gross metropolitan product of over US$ 2.5 trillion. Greater New York is the hub of multiple industries, including finance, health care , pharmaceuticals , and scientific output in life sciences , international trade , publishing, real estate, education, fashion, entertainment , tourism, law, and manufacturing; and if
9348-528: Is located in the Town of Poughkeepsie and runs from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Northern New Jersey , also known colloquially as North Jersey, is typically defined as comprising the following counties: The New Jersey State Department of Tourism splits North Jersey into the urban Gateway Region and the more rural Skylands Region . Northern New Jersey is home to four of
East Side Access - Misplaced Pages Continue
9576-548: Is located under the Park Avenue Viaduct , which surrounds Grand Central Terminal, while the storage tracks are located under the Park Avenue Tunnel , which is located south of Grand Central Terminal. The track connections from the new station to the 63rd Street Tunnel were excavated using tunnel boring machines . The first machine was delivered in May 2007. Dragados/Judlau created a launch chamber for
9804-426: Is navigable for its entire length of 16 miles (26 km). In 1939 it was reported that the stretch from The Battery to the former Brooklyn Navy Yard near Wallabout Bay , a run of about 1,000 yards (910 m), was 40 feet (12 m) deep, the long section from there, running to the west of Roosevelt Island, through Hell Gate and to Throg's Neck was at least 35 feet (11 m) deep, and then eastward from there
10032-536: Is now Brooklyn, and the first pier on the river was built in 1647 at Pearl and Broad Streets. After the British took over the colony in 1664, which was renamed "New York", the development of the waterfront continued, and a shipbuilding industry grew up once New York started exporting flour. By the end of the 17th century, the Great Dock, located at Corlear's Hook on the East River, had been built. Historically,
10260-469: Is relatively evenly spread throughout the year, and many areas receive upwards of 50 in (1,270 mm). Average winter snowfall for 1981 to 2010 ranges from just under 25 inches (64 cm) along the coast of Long Island to more than 50 in (127 cm) in some inland areas, but this usually varies considerably from year to year. Hurricanes and tropical storms have impacted the Tri-State area in
10488-406: Is the geographic and demographic hub of the larger Northeast megalopolis . The New York metropolitan area is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States with 20.1 million residents, or slightly over 6% of the nation's total population, as of 2020. The combined statistical area includes 23.6 million residents as of 2020. It is one of the largest urban agglomerations in
10716-401: Is the most populous municipality in the New York metropolitan area outside of New York City. Long Island is also the 17th most populous island in the world , but is more prominently known for recreation, boating, and miles of public beaches, including numerous town, county, and state parks, as well as Fire Island National Seashore and wealthy and expensive coastal residential enclaves. Along
10944-428: Is too large for the tunnel. Although M3 electric multiple units can fit in the 63rd Street Tunnel, the fleet is not compatible with the new line's safety and signaling systems. As a result, when East Side Access opened, about 22 percent of the LIRR's fleet was unable to serve Grand Central Madison. In anticipation of the completion of East Side Access and related projects, in 2022, the MTA overhauled LIRR timetables for
11172-468: The 2020 U.S. Census , constituting nearly 40% of New York State's population, the majority of New York City residents, 58.4% as of 2020, live on Long Island, namely the estimated 4,896,398 residents living in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens . Long Island is the most populated island in any U.S. state or territory, and the 17th-most populous island in the world (ahead of Ireland , Jamaica , and Hokkaidō ). Its population density
11400-547: The Army Corps of Engineers to continue Maillefert's work. In 1851, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , "under Lt. Bartlett of the Army Corps of Engineers," began to do the job, in an operation which was to span 70 years. The appropriated money was soon spent without appreciable change in the hazards of navigating the strait. An advisory council recommended in 1856 that the strait be cleared of all obstacles, but nothing
11628-405: The Battle of New York were fought in the region to secure it. New York was captured by the British early in the war, becoming a haven for Loyalist refugees from other parts of the country, and remained in the hands of the British until the war ended in 1783. New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790, after which the capital moved to Philadelphia. New York has been
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#173277249762911856-585: The Dfb (warm summer subtype) regime is only found inland at a higher elevation, and receives greater snowfall than the Dfa region. Much of Monroe and most of Pike County in Pennsylvania also have a fully humid continental climate. Summers in the area are typically hot and humid. Nighttime conditions in and around the five boroughs of New York are often exacerbated by the urban heat island phenomenon, and temperatures exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on average of 7–8 days (on
12084-731: The East End . The Hudson Valley and Connecticut are sometimes grouped together and referred to as the Northern Suburbs, largely because of the shared usage of the Metro-North Railroad system. Under the Köppen climate classification , New York City, western (and parts of eastern) Long Island, and the Jersey Shore experience a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ), and New York is thus the northernmost major city on
12312-604: The East River . Plans for the LIRR connection were revived in the late 1990s. The project received federal funding in 2006, and construction began the following year. The tunnels on the Manhattan side were dug from 2007 to 2011, and the connecting tunnels on the Queens side were completed in 2012. Afterward, work began on other facilities related to the line, such as new platforms at Grand Central, ventilation and ancillary buildings, communication and utility systems, and supporting rail infrastructure in Queens. The project's completion
12540-609: The East River Tunnels to Penn Station following damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The reduction of tunnel capacity (from four to three operational tunnels) during renovation, resulting in the need to share additional track space with Amtrak and NJ Transit , was cited as a reason for reduction in service to Penn Station in the draft timetables. As of 2022, renovation work was expected to begin no earlier than 2024 and take about three years to complete. These changes have met generally positive reception for introducing additional flexibility to peak commuters, especially those traveling to
12768-636: The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)'s Main Line in Queens . The 76th Street tunnel proposal resurfaced in 1963, though the location of the tunnel was changed several times thereafter. In 1965, the NYCTA finally decided to build the subway tunnel at 63rd Street. The first proposals to bring LIRR service to a terminal in eastern Midtown Manhattan arose in 1963. To facilitate planning for this terminal,
12996-472: The Lower East Side . The captain of the ship and the managers of the company that owned it were indicted, but only the captain was convicted; he spent 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 years of his 10-year sentence at Sing Sing Prison before being released by a federal parole board, and then pardoned by President William Howard Taft . Beginning in 1934, and then again from 1948 to 1966, the Manhattan shore of
13224-501: The MTA Metro-North Railroad serve the region's rail commuters. Southern Westchester County contains more densely populated areas and includes the cities of Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains. Many of the suburban communities of Westchester are known for their affluence and expense (some examples: Bronxville, Scarsdale, Chappaqua, Armonk, Katonah, and Briarcliff Manor). Rockland's river towns along
13452-697: The Massachusetts border. Most of the largest cities in the state are in New Haven County (home to Yale University ) and Fairfield County. Candlewood Lake is the largest recreational lake in the New York metropolitan area. The lake is located within the Greater Danbury region, and is home to many second homes of New York City residents. Pike County, Pennsylvania is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania . As of
13680-709: The Metropolitan Museum of Art , the Metropolitan Opera , and the American Museum of Natural History were built. New York newspapers were read around the country as media moguls James Gordon Bennett, Sr. , Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst battled for readership. In 1884, over 70% of exports passed through ports in New York or in one of the surrounding towns. The five boroughs of New York — The Bronx , Brooklyn , Manhattan , Queens , and Staten Island — were consolidated into
13908-723: The New Jersey Turnpike , the Garden State Parkway , and the Northeast Corridor , which bisect Central Jersey. Fairfield, New Haven, and Litchfield counties in western Connecticut (like the state in general) are known for affluence. Large businesses are scattered throughout the area, mostly in Fairfield County. The land is flat along the coast with low hills eventually giving way to larger hills such as The Berkshires further inland, to
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#173277249762914136-595: The New York City Business Integrity Commission found that a subcontractor for the East Side Access project was involved with an organized crime family. The subcontractor, who had been hired to haul away the dirt from the excavation process, was replaced. In July 2011, after the tunnel boring machines finished drilling through the Grand Central station box, they were left in place under 38th Street and Park Avenue, as it
14364-609: The New York City Subway system – as does the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel . (See Crossings below for details.) Also under the river is Water Tunnel #1 of the New York City water supply system , built in 1917 to extend the Manhattan portion of the tunnel to Brooklyn, and via City Tunnel #2 (1936) to Queens; these boroughs became part of New York City after the city's consolidation in 1898. City Tunnel #3 will also run under
14592-540: The Turtle Bay neighborhood were opposed by residents who feared it would change the neighborhood and bring traffic congestion; they suggested it be built at Grand Central instead. MTA officials countered that there were too many rail lines at Grand Central, and that adding the LIRR would further strain the Lexington Avenue Line. If it were on Third Avenue, passengers would have been more inclined to use
14820-463: The Wisconsinan glaciation , the region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the geologic foundation for much of the New York metropolitan region today. Later on, the ice sheet would help split apart what are now Long Island and Staten Island. At the time of European contact
15048-512: The crack epidemic , with the New York City area being one of the major ports of entry for narcotics entering the United States. Neighborhoods such as the South Bronx became prime examples of late 20th century urban decay . Beginning in the 1990s, however, crime dropped substantially due to tough-on-crime policies. Crime in New York City has continued to decline through the 21st century. The September 11th attacks in 2001 were pivotal in
15276-479: The headquarters of the United Nations , New York is an important center for international diplomacy . New York is a global city and has been described as the cultural , financial , entertainment , and media capital of the world, as well as the world's most economically powerful city. Long Island , the most populous island in the United States, is located just off the northeast coast of
15504-804: The tri-state region . The New York City television designated market area (DMA) includes Pike County, Pennsylvania , which is also included in the CSA. In addition to the New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA metropolitan statistical areas (MSA), the following core-based statistical areas are also included in the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA CSA: The area is frequently divided into the following subregions: All eight subregions are often further subdivided. For instance, Long Island can be divided into its South and North Shores (usually when speaking about Nassau County and western Suffolk County) and
15732-523: The $ 38.9 million contract to reconfigure part of Madison Yard in March 2009. In September 2009, the MTA awarded Yonkers Contracting Company a $ 40.8 million contract to demolish a building at 47 East 44th Street and construct a ventilation plant & concourse entrance on the building site, along with constructing a station entrance at an existing office tower at 245 Park Avenue (at East 46th Street). Smaller contracts for electrical installations and structural repairs were also awarded in 2008. In 2010,
15960-401: The 1957 season. Crime affected the city severely. Urban renewal projects alleviated decay in poorer neighborhoods to a certain extent, but many of these later proved to be failures and caused unanticipated consequences like ghettoization, informal racial segregation in housing, and disruption of the organic urban fabric that made the city's neighborhoods cohesive and healthy places to live. There
16188-469: The 2010 Census, the population was 57,369. Its county seat is Milford . Part of the Pocono Mountains region lies within Pike County, which has ranked among the fastest-growing counties of Pennsylvania. The following is a list of "principal cities" and their respective population estimates from the 2020 U.S. Census . Principal cities include those with populations over 100,000 or major job, cultural, educational, and economic centers. census During
16416-409: The 63rd Street Tunnel was still under construction by 1976, even though "officials knew that the tunnel would never be used." Richard Ravitch , the MTA chairman, said that to stop the work was impossible or so costly as to make it impractical subsequent to the construction of the subway portion." The lower level of the 63rd Street Tunnel was completed along with the upper subway level. The western end of
16644-566: The 63rd Street Tunnel. Three of them (Tunnels A, B/C, and D) connect to the busy Harold Interlocking, splitting off the Main Line. A fourth tunnel on a lower level connects to the Midday Storage Yard. The Midday Storage Yard, located to the northwest of the existing Sunnyside Yard, comprises 33 acres (13 ha) and will contain 24 storage tracks once completed. Tutor Perini is constructing the $ 291 million yard just south of
16872-522: The American East Coast. The Department of Docks was given the task of creating the master plan for the waterfront, and General George B. McClellan was engaged to head the project. McClellan held public hearings and invited plans to be submitted, ultimately receiving 70 of them, although in the end he and his successors put his own plan into effect. That plan called for the building of a seawall around Manhattan island from West 61st Street on
17100-588: The American loss at the Battle of Long Island and the loss of Fort Washington on November 16. Prisoners began to be housed on the broken-down warships and transports in December; about 24 ships were used in total, but generally only 5 or 6 at a time. Almost twice as many Americans died from neglect in these ships than did from all the battles in the war: as many as 12,000 soldiers, sailors and civilians. The bodies were thrown overboard or were buried in shallow graves on
17328-563: The Blasting of Hell Gate traces Newton's work on this project from 1866 to 1885. On September 24, 1876, the Corps used 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg) of explosives to blast the rocks, which was followed by further blasting. The process was started by excavating under Hallets reef from Astoria . Cornish miners, assisted by steam drills, dug galleries under the reef, which were then interconnected. They later drilled holes for explosives. A patent
17556-476: The Bronx. The Bronx River , Pugsley Creek , and Westchester Creek drain into the northern bank of the East River in the northern section of the strait. The Flushing River , historically known as Flushing Creek, empties into the strait's southern bank near LaGuardia Airport via Flushing Bay . Further west, Luyster Creek drains into the East River in Astoria, Queens . North of Randalls Island , it
17784-785: The Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg and Queensboro Bridges, and the Ward's Island Footbridge, and terminates just before the Robert F. Kennedy Triboro Bridge when it connects to the Harlem River Drive . Between most of the FDR Drive and the River is the East River Greenway , part of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway . The East River Greenway was primarily built in connection with the building of
18012-489: The East River Ferry as part of the system. In February 2012 the federal government announced an agreement with Verdant Power to install 30 tidal turbines in the channel of the East River. The turbines were projected to begin operations in 2015 and are supposed to produce 1.05 megawatts of power. The strength of the current foiled an earlier effort in 2007 to tap the river for tidal power . On May 7, 2017,
18240-526: The East River Tunnels to be renovated. Work on the Manhattan side included building a new 8-track train station with storage tracks extending to 38th Street. North of the station, the tunnels would connect to the 63rd Street Tunnel's lower level. The new station would be housed in two gigantic caverns blasted out of the Manhattan schist rock formation under the station. A three-level structure
18468-513: The East River and forms part of the boundary between Queens and Brooklyn. Bushwick Inlet and Wallabout Bay on Long Island also drain into the strait on the Long Island side. The Gowanus Canal was built from Gowanus Creek , which emptied into the river. Historically, there were other small streams which emptied into the river, though these and their associated wetlands have been filled in and built over. These small streams included
18696-457: The East River near 65th Street. Although the museum denied that any fossils had been dumped into the river, Reeves's allegations prompted commercial divers to search the river for evidence of mammoth bones. Throughout most of the history of New York City, and New Amsterdam before it, the East River has been the receptacle for the city's garbage and sewage. " Night men " who collected " night soil " from outdoor privies would dump their loads into
18924-467: The East River on sites that had previously been Native American settlements. As with the Native Americans, the river was central to their lives for transportation for trading and for fishing. They gathered marsh grass to feed their cattle, and the East River's tides helped to power mills which ground grain to flour. By 1642 there was a ferry running on the river between Manhattan island and what
19152-735: The East River wharves and slips to begin a long process of decay, until the area was finally rehabilitated in the mid-1960s, and the South Street Seaport Museum was opened in 1967. By 1870, the condition of the Port of New York along both the East and Hudson Rivers had so deteriorated that the New York State legislature created the Department of Docks to renovate the port and keep New York competitive with other ports on
19380-403: The East River, almost beyond repair. Because of these changes to the ecosystem, by 1909, the level of dissolved-oxygen in the lower part of the river had declined to less than 65%, where 55% of saturation is the point at which the amount of fish and the number of their species begins to be affected. Only 17 years later, by 1926, the level of dissolved oxygen in the river had fallen to 13%, below
19608-488: The East Side Access project created an LIRR branch from its Main Line through new track connections at Harold Interlocking within Sunnyside Yard, and through the lower level of the existing 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River. A storage yard adjacent to Sunnyside Yard is also being built, connecting to the 63rd Street Tunnel via a loop . In Manhattan new tunnels begin at the western end of the 63rd Street Tunnel at Second Avenue , curving south under Park Avenue and entering
19836-607: The East Side, and facilitating the development of job centers on Long Island for reverse commuters. In the June 2022 MTA board meeting, chairman Janno Lieber described increased reverse-peak service as having a "potential boom to Long Island's economy". Some proposed service changes were not well received. The new timetables have been criticized for greatly reducing the amount of through service to Atlantic Terminal and not sufficiently augmenting peak service, with some stations even seeing
20064-493: The East Side. In 2002, Congress allocated $ 132 million for infrastructure projects in New York State, including $ 14.7 million for East Side Access. A final design for the project was approved in 2002, and the first properties for it were acquired in 2003. In 2004, some business owners in Midtown announced their opposition to a proposed 16-story ventilation building at 50th Street east of Madison Avenue . They said that
20292-567: The FDR Drive, although some portions were built as recently as 2002, and other sections are still incomplete. In 1963, Con Edison built the Ravenswood Generating Station on the Long Island City shore of the river, on land some of which was once stone quarries which provided granite and marble slabs for Manhattan's buildings. The plant has since been owned by KeySpan . National Grid and TransCanada ,
20520-578: The Harlem Creek, one of the most significant tributaries originating in Manhattan. Other streams that emptied into the East River included the Sawkill in Manhattan, Mill Brook in the Bronx, and Sunswick Creek in Queens. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the land north of the East River was occupied by the Siwanoys , one of many groups of Algonquin -speaking Lenapes in the area. Those of
20748-520: The Hudson, around The Battery , and up to East 51st Street on the East River. The area behind the masonry wall (mostly concrete but in some parts granite blocks) would be filled in with landfill, and wide streets would be laid down on the new land. In this way, a new edge for the island (or at least the part of it used as a commercial port) would be created. The department had surveyed 13,700 feet (4,200 m) of shoreline by 1878, as well as documenting
20976-563: The Hudson, including Nyack and Piermont , are known for their vibrant dining and art scenes. 30% of Rockland's land area is designated parkland with impressive scenery, which attracts many visitors from the tristate area. In recent years, the high cost of housing in the Lower Hudson Valley, plus increased remote working opportunities, has caused some to move further north into the Mid Hudson Valley. Historically,
21204-510: The LIRR East Side connection would not be completed within the next generation. In 1997, U.S. Senator Al D'Amato started asking for federal money to connect the LIRR to Grand Central. New York Governor George Pataki had previously proposed completing the project, but D'Amato's support increased the likelihood that construction would actually begin. At the time, if everything went favorably, the LIRR link could open by 2010. By that time,
21432-546: The LIRR was the busiest commuter railroad in the United States, with an average of 269,400 passengers each weekday in 1999. As of 1998, there were almost 1.77 million jobs in Manhattan, including an increasing number of white-collar "office" jobs in East Midtown. Penn Station on the West Side was operating at capacity due to a complex track interlocking and limited capacity in the East River Tunnels . In 1999,
21660-726: The LIRR's passenger numbers had not completely recovered more than two years later. Large amounts of office space in Midtown Manhattan were still vacant, although MTA officials expressed optimism that the completion of East Side Access would attract office workers back to Midtown. The LIRR received operational control of the Grand Central Madison station on December 9, 2022, upon which the station and tracks became subject to Federal Railroad Administration regulations. The Grand Central Madison station remained unopened two weeks later; MTA chairman Janno Lieber attributed
21888-459: The Lenapes who lived in the northern part of Manhattan Island in a campsite known as Konaande Kongh used a landing at around the current location of East 119th street to paddle into the river in canoes fashioned from tree trunks in order to fish. Dutch settlement of what became New Amsterdam began in 1623. Some of the earliest of the small settlements in the area were along the west bank of
22116-598: The Lower Hudson Valley is centered around the Hudson River north of New York City and lies within New York State. Westchester and Putnam counties are located on the eastern side of the river, and Rockland and Orange counties are located on the western side of the river. Westchester and Rockland counties are connected by the heavily trafficked New Tappan Zee Bridge , as well as by the Bear Mountain Bridge near their northern ends. Several branches of
22344-597: The MTA for not responding to community feedback on the draft timetables. In particular, riders on the Oyster Bay Branch (a diesel-only branch) expressed concerns that the new schedules had eliminated direct transfers at the Jamaica station, thereby lengthening their commutes. A shuttle service, Grand Central Direct, operated between Grand Central Madison and Jamaica between January 25 and February 26, 2023. Grand Central Direct trains ran hourly during rush hours in
22572-489: The MTA proposed a $ 17 billion five-year capital budget. This budget included a $ 1.6 billion LIRR connection to Grand Central, as well as several subway extensions. The project's final environmental impact assessment (FEIS) was released in March 2001. The FEIS reviewed two key options for bringing LIRR service to Grand Central. The first option was to connect the tunnels to the existing lower level at Grand Central, while
22800-508: The MTA was "making no apologies" for the proposed service plan. On September 28, 2022, following backlash from customers, the MTA announced the restoration of three express trains serving Penn Station on the Port Washington Branch, which were initially cut from the draft timetables. The February 2023 timetables were likewise met with mixed reception, with some commuters anticipating newfound flexibility, and others criticizing
23028-483: The New York City Subway, cost $ 4 per one-way ticket. It was instantly popular: from June to November 2011, the ferry saw 350,000 riders, over 250% of the initial ridership forecast of 134,000 riders. In December 2016, in preparation for the start of NYC Ferry service the next year, Hornblower Cruises purchased the rights to operate the East River Ferry. NYC Ferry started service on May 1, 2017, with
23256-691: The New York City area. The two TBMs began digging on the Queens side in April 2011. On December 22, 2011, breakthrough was achieved in Tunnel "A" of the four Queens tunnel drives from the 63rd Street Tunnel bellmouth. By July 25, 2012, all four Queens tunnel drives were complete. In April 2014, contracts were awarded for the final modifications for the tunnels, as well as for communication systems. The project also added two bypass tunnels for Amtrak trains within Harold Interlocking. While eastbound Amtrak trains to New England would be able to go through
23484-472: The New York State legislature was presented with a petition for a canal to be built through nearby Hallet's Point, thus avoiding Hell Gate altogether. Instead, the legislature responded by providing ships with pilots trained to navigate the shoals for the next 15 years. In 1849, a French engineer whose specialty was underwater blasting, Benjamin Maillefert , had cleared some of the rocks which, along with
23712-601: The New York metropolitan area varies over a wide range from 5a in the highest areas of Dutchess, Monroe, and Ulster Counties to 7b in most of NYC as well as Hudson County from Bayonne up the east side of the Palisades to Route 495, the majority of Nassau County, the north coast of Monmouth County, and Copiague Harbor, Lindenhurst, and Montauk in Suffolk County. Almost all of the metropolitan area receives at least 42 inches (1,070 mm) of precipitation annually, which
23940-441: The New York metropolitan area were an independent sovereign state , it would constitute the eighth-largest economy in the world. It is the most prominent financial, diplomatic , and media hub in the world. According to Forbes , in 2014, the New York metropolitan area was home to eight of the top ten ZIP Codes in the United States by median housing price, with six in Manhattan alone. The New York metropolitan area
24168-418: The North American continent with this climate type. Much of the remainder of the metropolitan area lies in the transition zone from a humid subtropical ( Cfa ) to a humid continental climate ( Dfa ), and it is only the inland, more exurban areas far to the north and west such as Sussex County, New Jersey, that have a January daily average of −3 °C (26.6 °F) or below and are fully humid continental;
24396-641: The Second Avenue Subway, which was partially under construction at the time. On April 16, 1973, a Federal directive directed New York State to consider expanding and modernizing Grand Central before building the new terminal under Third Avenue. Preliminary planning for the Metropolitan Transportation Center had been completed by January 1975. Due to continued opposition to the Transportation Center,
24624-579: The United Nations ) to the efforts of a group associated with the guru Sri Chinmoy that held mediation meetings on the island in the 1970s. Today, the island is owned by New York State and serves as a migratory bird sanctuary that is closed to visitors. Proceeding north and east from Roosevelt Island, the River's principal islands include Manhattan's Mill Rock , an 8.6-acre (3.5 ha) island located about 1000 feet from Manhattan's East 96th Street; Manhattan's 520-acre Randalls and Wards Islands , two formerly separate islands joined by landfill that are home to
24852-480: The United States and is a region wholly included within both the U.S. state of New York and the New York metropolitan area. Extending 118 miles east-northeast of Roosevelt Island, Manhattan from New York Harbor into the Atlantic Ocean , the island comprises four counties: Kings and Queens (these form the New York boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens , respectively) to the west; then Nassau and Suffolk to
25080-588: The Upper Harbor, put up a dam from Brooklyn to Staten Island , and make extensive landfill in the Lower Bay. At around the same time, in the 1920s, John A. Harriss, New York City's chief traffic engineer, who had developed the first traffic signals in the city, also had plans for the river. Harriss wanted to dam the East River at Hell Gate and the Williamsburg Bridge, then remove the water, put
25308-621: The area and built a settlement on Lower Manhattan Island that was eventually renamed New Amsterdam by Dutch colonists in 1626. In 1664, the area went under English control, and was later renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York . As the fur trade expanded further north, New York became a trading hub , which brought in a diverse set of ethnic groups including Africans , Jews , and Portuguese . The island of Manhattan had an extraordinary natural harbor formed by New York Bay (actually
25536-554: The area which ended in 1851 with a detailed and accurate map. By then Maillefert had cleared the rock "Baldheaded Billy", and it was reported that Pot Rock had been reduced to 20.5 feet (6.2 m), which encouraged the United States Congress to appropriate $ 20,000 for further clearing of the strait. However, a more accurate survey showed that the depth of Pot Rock was actually a little more than 18 feet (5.5 m), and eventually Congress withdrew its funding. With
25764-400: The average width of the existing one at an even 3,600 feet (1,100 m) throughout, and would run as straight as an arrow for five miles (8.0 km). The new land, and the portions of Queens which would become part of Manhattan, adding 2,500 acres (1,000 ha), would be covered with an extension of the existing street grid of Manhattan. Variations on Serrell's plan would be floated over
25992-575: The beaches, gardens, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Long Island is served by a network of parkways and expressways , with the Long Island Expressway , Northern State Parkway , and Southern State Parkway being major east–west routes across significant portions of the island. Commuter rail access is provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road , one of
26220-702: The beginning of the Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. The area is home to the Wappingers Central School District , which the second-largest school district in the state of New York . The Newburgh Waterfront in the City of Newburgh is home to many high-end restaurants. U.S. Route 9 , I-84 , and the Taconic State Parkway all run through Dutchess County. Metro-North Railroad train station, New Hamburg ,
26448-563: The boats on the east shore of the river, in what is now Brooklyn, and used them to successfully move his troops across the river – under cover of night, rain, and fog – to Manhattan island, before the British could press their advantage. Thus, though the battle was a victory for the British, the failure of Sir William Howe to destroy the Continental Army when he had the opportunity allowed the Americans to continue fighting. Without
26676-576: The borough of Manhattan. It is connected to Queens by the Roosevelt Island Bridge , to Manhattan by the Roosevelt Island Tramway , and to both boroughs by a subway station served by the F train . The Queensboro Bridge also runs across Roosevelt Island, and an elevator allowing both pedestrian and vehicular access to the island was added to the bridge in 1930, but elevator service was discontinued in 1955 following
26904-489: The building would cause pollution and that it could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Catholic Archbishop Cardinal Edward Egan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York worried about the effect on St. Patrick's Cathedral , which faced Fifth Avenue with its back on Madison Avenue north of 50th Street. At first, MTA officials held fast to their plans, but after continued opposition, they reduced
27132-485: The catastrophic failure of a Con Edison substation in Brooklyn caused a spill into the river of over 5,000 US gallons (18,927 L; 4,163 imp gal) of dielectric fluid , a synthetic mineral oil used to cool electrical equipment and prevent electrical discharges. (See below .) At the end of 2022, gold miner John Reeves claimed that up to 50 tons of ice age artifacts bound for the American Museum of Natural History , including mammoth remains, had been dumped into
27360-490: The channel from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Manhattan. New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area , broadly referred to as the Tri-State area and often also called Greater New York , is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass , encompassing 4,669.0 sq mi (12,093 km ). The New York metropolitan area is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in
27588-433: The channel on both side may have been the reasoning behind the suggestion of one New York State Senator, who wanted to fill in the East River and annex Brooklyn, with the cost of doing so being covered by selling the newly made land. Others proposed a dam at Roosevelt Island (then Blackwell's Island) to create a wet basin for shipping. Filling in part of the river was also proposed in 1867 by engineer James E. Serrell, later
27816-430: The city economy was hurt by blockades of German U-boats , which limited shipping with Europe. After its population peaked in 1950, a significant portion of the city's population left for the suburbs of New York over the following decades. The effects were a result of white flight . Industry and commerce also declined in this era, with businesses relocating to the suburbs or other regions. The era also saw an increase in
28044-470: The city was given control of the western shore of the river from Wallabout Bay south. Expansion of the waterfront halted during the American Revolution , in which the East River played an important role early in the conflict. On August 28, 1776, while British and Hessian troops rested after besting the Americans at the Battle of Long Island , General George Washington was rounding up all
28272-687: The city. Railroad stations such as Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station helped fuel suburban growth. During the era of the Prohibition , when alcohol was banned nationwide, organized crime grew to supply the high demand for bootleg alcohol. The Broadway Theater District began to develop with the opening of the New York Subway in 1904 and, by the early part of the twentieth century, had been made world-famous as New York's theatrical and entertainment center through popular musical productions like Ziegfeld Follies and Show Boat and
28500-474: The completion of the tracks in August 2018. The MTA also started installing escalators between the lower concourse and the platform mezzanine. Beginning in April 2018, the MTA began conducting site tours of the project; it had given 35 tours by September 2018. In advance of the planned deconstruction of 270 Park Avenue above East Side Access, the MTA and 270 Park Avenue's owner JPMorgan Chase signed an agreement in July 2019, in which JPMorgan agreed to ensure that
28728-522: The construction of housing projects for the city's low-income population under the New York City Housing Authority , coinciding with the destruction of communities to construct interstate highways to link the city with its suburbs. The city, particularly Brooklyn, was dealt a psychological as well as an economic blow with the loss of the iconic Brooklyn Dodgers major-league baseball team, which moved to Los Angeles after
28956-420: The construction of East Side Access. LIRR president Kenneth J. Bauer said, "The incident of September 11 shows the importance of East Side Access to a greater degree. If something happened at the East River tunnel, you wouldn't be able to run trains to Penn Station." The MTA and Governor Pataki supported East Side Access and the Second Avenue Subway , both of which involved building new railroad infrastructure on
29184-436: The counties of Dutchess , Ulster , and Sullivan , as well as the northern portions of Orange County , with the region's main cities being Poughkeepsie , Newburgh , Kingston , and Beacon . The Walkway over the Hudson , is the second longest pedestrian footbridge in the world. It crosses the Hudson River connecting Poughkeepsie and Highland . The 13 mile-long Dutchess Rail Trail stretches from Hopewell Junction to
29412-693: The country's largest city since 1790. In 1792, the Buttonwood Agreement , made by a group of merchants, created what is now the New York Stock Exchange in Lower Manhattan. Today, many people in the metropolitan area work in this important stock exchange. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and
29640-414: The currents and tides. By 1900, 75 miles (121 km) had been surveyed and core samples had been taken to inform the builders of how deep the bedrock was. The work was completed just as World War I began, allowing the Port of New York to be a major point of embarkation for troops and materiel. The new seawall helps protect Manhattan island from storm surges, although it is only 5 feet (1.5 m) above
29868-488: The deconstruction of 270 Park Avenue would not disrupt the timeline of East Side Access. Previous work extending subway service through the upper level of the 63rd Street Tunnel to lines in Queens also extended the lower level to a point west of Northern Boulevard, across from the Sunnyside Yard . Work in Queens included extending the tunnel under Northern Boulevard and boring four tunnels under Sunnyside Yard. This
30096-406: The delays to a lack of cooperation on Amtrak's part. The work at Harold Interlocking also included the installation of a microprocessor -based signal system, replacing the old track circuit -based signal system. In July 2018, workers started realigning tracks to make way for the construction of the Queens tunnel portal, which was the final major contract not underway at the time. The realignment of
30324-471: The delays to a single ventilation fan that could not exhaust enough air. At the end of December 2022, the MTA postponed the station's opening to January 2023. Early the next month, Lieber indicated that the station's opening could be postponed further to February 2023. Non-revenue shuttle trains began running on January 11, 2023, and the FRA said on January 19 that the LIRR had finished installing ACSES equipment in
30552-478: The drowned lower river valley of the Hudson River, enclosed by glacial moraines ), the East River , which is a tidal strait , and the Hudson River , all of which merge at the southern tip, from which all later development spread. During the American Revolution , the strategic waterways made New York vitally important as a wartime base for the British navy. Many battles such as the Battle of Long Island and
30780-561: The east side of the avenue at 45th Street. An entrance on 46th Street between Lexington and Park Avenue was also built, connecting with Grand Central North. The MTA later announced its intent to defer construction of an entrance at 48th Street because the owner of 415 Madison Avenue wanted to undertake a major construction project on the site. The MTA also connected the new station to the existing 47th Street cross-passage. The escalators are up to 180 feet (55 m) long and descend more than 90 feet (27 m). The escalators and elevators are among
31008-438: The east. However, most people in the New York metropolitan area (even those living in Queens and Brooklyn) colloquially use the term "Long Island" (or "The Island") exclusively to refer to Nassau County and Suffolk County collectively, which are mainly suburban in character. North of the island is Long Island Sound , across which are the U.S. states of Connecticut and Rhode Island . With a population of 8,063,232 enumerated at
31236-583: The end of 2022. By late 2022, there were concerns that the project's completion could be delayed to March 2023. At the time, the MTA had not yet activated the Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System , which would automatically activate the brakes of oversized trains that attempted to enter the tunnels. In addition, mass-transit ridership declined significantly following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, and
31464-414: The end of the piers. The "landfill" which created new land along the shoreline when the river was "wharfed out" by the sale of "water lots" was largely garbage such as bones, offal, and even whole dead animals, along with excrement – human and animal. The result was that by the 1850s, if not before, the East River, like the other waterways around the city, was undergoing the process of eutrophication where
31692-605: The entire river in 1614 by explorer Adriaen Block when he passed through it in his ship Tyger – is a narrow, turbulent, and particularly treacherous stretch of the river. Tides from the Long Island Sound, New York Harbor and the Harlem River meet there, making it difficult to navigate, especially because of the number of rocky islets which once dotted it, with names such as "Frying Pan", "Pot, Bread and Cheese", "Hen and Chicken", "Heel Top"; "Flood"; and "Gridiron", roughly 12 islets and reefs in all, all of which led to
31920-480: The existing Harold Interlocking. The line fans out into a bi-level station under Grand Central Terminal with eight tracks, four on each level. South of the station, the four tracks on each level merge into two 1,700-foot-long (520 m) storage tracks, with one in each cavern on each level. These storage tracks, which extend under Park Avenue south to 38th Street, are long enough to store one 1,020-foot-long (310 m), 12-car train. The storage tracks were not part of
32148-433: The few privately operated escalators and elevators in the entire MTA system. Trains to Grand Central run 20 hours a day. In 2015, plans called for 24 trains per hour to run to Grand Central during peak morning hours, with an estimated 162,000 passenger trips to and from Grand Central on an average weekday. Bilevel rail cars , such as the LIRR's DM30AC and C3 fleet, cannot serve Grand Central because their loading gauge
32376-410: The fields of medicine and biological science. North of it is one of the major medical centers in the city, NewYork Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Medical Center , which is associated with the medical schools of both Columbia University and Cornell University . Although it can trace its history back to 1771, the center on York Avenue, much of which overlooks the river, was built in 1932. The East River
32604-452: The first passenger test train through the East Side Access tunnels to Grand Central Terminal. In May 2022, MTA chairman Janno Lieber announced that the project was still scheduled for completion by the end of the year, and Hochul announced that the new station would be named " Grand Central Madison ". More extensive tests of operation and safety features (e.g., the positive train control system) were underway and were expected to be completed by
32832-466: The first time in more than 30 years. On June 2, 2022, the MTA released draft timetables that LIRR president Catherine Rinaldi pronounced "revolutionary", saying, "In one stroke, we are increasing service by 40%." The public was invited to comment on the proposed changes at a virtual public meeting on July 13, 2022; after hundreds of people registered to speak, two more such meetings were added. These meetings notwithstanding, MTA officials said in December that
33060-408: The flagship campuses of the largest public universities systems at SUNY Stony Brook and Rutgers ; and globally-ranked New York University , Rockefeller University , and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory . The counties and county groupings constituting the New York metropolitan area are listed below, with 2010 census figures: The U.S. Office of Management and Budget utilizes two definitions of
33288-481: The glacier's movement. The lower portion (from Hell Gate to New York Bay ) runs north–south, parallel to the glacial motion. It is much narrower, with straight banks. The bays that exist, as well as those that used to exist before being filled in by human activity, are largely wide and shallow. The section known as "Hell Gate" – from the Dutch name Hellegat meaning either "bright strait" or "clear opening", given to
33516-441: The harbor was not created. In the 1850s the depth continued to lessen – the harbor commission said in 1850 that the mean water low was 24 feet (7.3 m) and the extreme water low was 23 feet (7.0 m) – while the draft required by the new ships continued to increase, meaning it was only safe for them to enter the harbor at high tide. The U.S. Congress, realizing that the problem needed to be addressed, appropriated $ 20,000 for
33744-458: The immediate Long Island Sound and Atlantic coasts), up to in excess of 27 days (inland suburbs in New Jersey) each summer and may exceed 100 °F (38 °C). Normally, warm to hot temperatures begin in mid-May, and last through early October. Summers also feature passing thundershowers which build in the heat of the day and then drop brief, but intense, rainfall. Winters are cold with
33972-414: The increase in nitrogen from excrement and other sources led to a decrease in free oxygen , which in turn led to an increase in phytoplankton such as algae and a decrease in other life forms, breaking the area's established food chain. The East River became very polluted, and its animal life decreased drastically. In an earlier time, one person had described the transparency of the water: "I remember
34200-401: The interlocking without crossing the paths of East Side Access trains, westbound Amtrak trains to Penn Station would use tracks that intersected East Side Access tracks. East Side Access trains to Grand Central came from the east and would diverge to the northwest while Amtrak trains to Penn Station came from the north and would continue west, so the final environmental impact statement called for
34428-461: The largest cities of that state: Newark , Jersey City , Paterson , and Elizabeth . The region is geographically diverse with wetlands , mountains, and valleys throughout the area. It has a large network of expressways and public transportation rail services, mostly operated by New Jersey Transit . Northern New Jersey also contains the second busiest airport in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Liberty International Airport . Although it
34656-674: The largest commuter railroads in the United States. Air travel needs are served by several airports. Within Queens, the island is home to John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport , two of the three major airline hubs serving the New York area (with Newark Liberty International Airport being the third; all three major airports are operated by The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey). Long Island MacArthur Airport (serving commercial airlines) and Farmingdale/Republic Airport (private and commuter flights) are both located in Suffolk County. Known for its hilly terrain , picturesque settings, and quaint small towns and villages ,
34884-495: The late-June draft would be implemented when Grand Central Madison opened for full service. The revised timetables proposed a substantial increase in reverse-peak and off-peak service on most branches. This included half-hourly off-peak service on the Main Line to and from Ronkonkoma (increased from hourly) and hourly off-peak service on the West Hempstead Branch (increased from bihourly). Additionally, due to
35112-555: The launch chamber for soft-bore Queens tunnels that would connect the 63rd Street line to the main LIRR branches, and an interlocking and emergency exit and venting facility. The cut was then covered with a deck. In August 2009, Perini Corp. was awarded a $ 144 million contract to reconfigure the Harold Interlocking railway junction, increasing its capacity to accommodate trains bound for Grand Central Terminal, and to construct new yard lead tracks to allow trains to enter
35340-506: The lower portion of the strait, which separates Manhattan from Brooklyn, was one of the busiest and most important channels in the world, particularly during the first three centuries of New York City's history. Because the water along the lower Manhattan shoreline was too shallow for large boats to tie up and unload their goods, from 1686 on – after the signing of the Dongan Charter , which allowed intertidal land to be owned and sold –
35568-413: The main shipping channels through The Narrows into the harbor silting up with sand due to littoral drift , thus providing ships with less depth, and a new generation of larger ships coming online – epitomized by Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's SS Great Eastern , popularly known as "Leviathan" – New York began to be concerned that it would start to lose its status as a great port if a "back door" entrance into
35796-471: The marine sciences section of the DEP, the channel is swift, with water moving as fast as four knots, just as it does in the Hudson River on the other side of Manhattan. That speed can push casual swimmers out to sea. A few people drown in the waters around New York City each year. As of 2013 , it was reported that the level of bacteria in the river was below federal guidelines for swimming on most days, although
36024-559: The mean sea level, so that particularly dangerous storms, such as the nor'easter of 1992 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which hit the city in a way to create surges which are much higher, can still do significant damage. (The Hurricane of September 3, 1821, created the biggest storm surge on record in New York City: a rise of 13 feet (4.0 m) in one hour at the Battery, flooding all of lower Manhattan up to Canal Street .) Still,
36252-426: The menhaden population collapsed. Menhaden feed on phytoplankton, helping to keep them in check, and are also a vital step in the food chain, as bluefish , striped bass and other fish species which do not eat phytoplankton feed on the menhaden. The oyster is another filter feeder: oysters purify 10 to 100 gallons a day, while each menhaden filters four gallons in a minute, and their schools were immense: one report had
36480-528: The metropolitan area is New York City, the most populous city in the United States and has been described as the capital of the world . The city consists of five boroughs , each of which is coterminous with a county of New York State . The five boroughs – Brooklyn , Queens , Manhattan , the Bronx , and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. With a Census-estimated population of 8,335,897 in 2022 (8,467,513 in 2021 ), distributed over
36708-414: The mix of tides, made the Hell Gate stretch of the river so dangerous to navigate. Ebenezer Meriam had organized a subscription to pay Maillefert $ 6,000 to, for instance, reduce "Pot Rock" to provide 24 feet (7.3 m) of depth at low-mean water. While ships continued to run aground (in the 1850s about 2% of ships did so) and petitions continued to call for action, the federal government undertook surveys of
36936-480: The negotiations to formally end the war. After the war, East River waterfront development continued once more. New York State legislation, which in 1807 had authorized what would become the Commissioners Plan of 1811 , authorized the creation of new land out to 400 feet from the low water mark into the river, and with the advent of gridded streets along the new waterline – Joseph Mangin had laid out such
37164-454: The new seawall begun in 1871 gave the island a firmer edge, improved the quality of the port, and continues to protect Manhattan from normal storm surges. The Brooklyn Bridge , completed in 1883, was the first bridge to span the East River, connecting the cities of New York and Brooklyn , and all but replacing the frequent ferry service between them, which did not return until the late 20th century. The bridge offered cable car service across
37392-734: The north shore, the Gold Coast of Long Island , featured in the film The Great Gatsby , is an upscale section of Nassau and western Suffolk counties that once featured many lavish mansions built and inhabited by wealthy business tycoons in the earlier years of the 20th century, of which only a few remain preserved as historic sites. The East End of Long Island (known as the "Twin Forks" because of its physical shape) boasts open spaces for farmland and wineries . The South Fork, in particular, comprises numerous towns and villages known collectively as " The Hamptons " and has an international reputation as
37620-417: The northern shipping entrance to the city were now open, modern dredging techniques had cut through the sandbars of the Atlantic Ocean entrance, allowing new, even larger ships to use that traditional passage into New York's docks. At the beginning of the 19th century, the East River was the center of New York's shipping industry, but by the end of the century, much of it had moved to the Hudson River, leaving
37848-544: The number of LIRR tracks to two, and provided segregated tracks for the LIRR and the subway. In February 1968, the NYCTA's parent company, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), released the Program for Action , which proposed numerous improvements to subway, railway, and airport service in the New York metropolitan area . The plan included a new LIRR terminal at a proposed Metropolitan Transportation Center at Third Avenue and 48th Street in East Midtown . It also included connections to Grand Central Terminal , with
38076-428: The only U.S. state capital within the New York metropolitan area), Princeton (home to the Ivy League Princeton University ), and New Brunswick (home of Rutgers University 's main New Brunswick campus, the largest university in New Jersey). The region also encompasses a significant portion of the Jersey Shore , including the cities of Red Bank , Long Branch , and Asbury Park . Major transportation links include
38304-407: The opening of multiple large, extravagantly decorated theatres in the area spanning Broadway from 47th to 42nd Streets. The Great Depression suspended the region's fortunes as a period of widespread unemployment and poverty began. City planner Robert Moses began his automobile-centered career of building bridges, parkways , and later expressways across the tri-state area. During World War II,
38532-432: The opening of the Roosevelt Island Bridge, and the elevator was demolished in 1970. The island, which was formerly known as Blackwell's Island and Welfare Island before being renamed in honor of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt , historically served as the site of a penitentiary and a number of hospitals; today, it is dominated by residential neighborhoods consisting of large apartment buildings and parkland (much of which
38760-617: The original proposal, as they were added in a 2008 modification to the plans for East Side Access. The project also included the construction of several ventilation plants. One is located at 44th Street, near the Yale Club of New York City , while another is located at 50th Street east of Madison Avenue. Ventilation facilities are also located on Park Avenue at 38th Street and at 55th Street, as well as on 63rd Street at York Avenue and at 2nd Avenue. The new LIRR terminal at Grand Central, located 14 stories below ground, has 350,000 square feet (33,000 m) with four platforms and eight tracks, plus
38988-448: The other waterways around New York City, the strait was formed approximately 11,000 years ago at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation . The distinct change in the shape of the strait between the lower and upper portions is evidence of this glacial activity. The upper portion (from Long Island Sound to Hell Gate), running largely perpendicular to the glacial motion, is wide, meandering, and has deep narrow bays on both banks, scoured out by
39216-480: The past, though a direct hit is rare. Several areas on Long Island, New Jersey, and the Connecticut coast have been impacted by serious storm surges in the past. Inland areas have been impacted by heavy rain and flooding from tropical cyclones. The New York metropolitan area averages 234 days with at least some sunshine and 59% of possible sunlight annually, accumulating 2,400 to 2,800 hours of sunshine per annum. The geographical, cultural, and economic center of
39444-436: The peak direction stopping at Woodside. Midday and weekend trains operated half-hourly, with one train making stops at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, and Woodside, and one train running nonstop between Jamaica and Grand Central. On weekdays, the first train left Jamaica at 6:17 am, with the last train leaving Grand Central at 8:04 pm. Trains ran on weekends between 7 a.m. and 10 pm. East River The East River
39672-455: The point at which most fish species can survive. Due to heavy pollution , the East River is dangerous to people who fall in or attempt to swim in it, although as of mid-2007 the water was cleaner than it had been in decades. As of 2010 , the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) categorizes the East River as Use Classification I, meaning it is safe for secondary contact activities such as boating and fishing. According to
39900-412: The readings may vary significantly, so that the outflow from Newtown Creek or the Gowanus Canal can be tens or hundreds of times higher than recommended, according to Riverkeeper , a non-profit environmentalist advocacy group. The counts are also higher along the shores of the strait than they are in the middle of its flow. Nevertheless, the "Brooklyn Bridge Swim" is an annual event where swimmers cross
40128-424: The region and nation's history. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people as two planes crashed into the former World Trade Center and caused the towers to collapse. Businesses led an exodus from Lower Manhattan because of this but were replaced by an increased number of high-rise residences and a building boom in New York continues to this day. In 2003, another blackout occurred, the 2003 North America blackout , but
40356-418: The region was inhabited by Native Americans , predominantly the Lenape , and others. The Native Americans used the abundant waterways in the area for many purposes, such as fishing and trade routes. Sailing for France in 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to enter the local waters and encounter the residents, but he did not make landfall. Henry Hudson , sailing for the Dutch in 1609, visited
40584-446: The remainder of the LIRR system combined. The MTA originally planned to build and open additional entrances at 44th, 45th, 47th, and 48th Streets. The station connects to existing entrances at Grand Central North . The LIRR station also contains entrances at 335 Madison Avenue, near the southeast corner with 44th Street; at 270 Park Avenue and 280 Park Avenue near 47th and 48th–49th Streets, respectively; and at 347 Madison Avenue, on
40812-573: The result of deregulation of the electrical power industry. The station, which can generate about 20% of the electrical needs of New York City – approximately 2,500 megawatts – receives some of its fuel by oil barge. North of the power plant can be found Socrates Sculpture Park , an illegal dumpsite and abandoned landfill that in 1986 was turned into an outdoor museum, exhibition space for artists, and public park by sculptor Mark di Suvero and local activists. The area also contains Rainey Park, which honors Thomas C. Rainey, who attempted for 40 years to get
41040-400: The rich and powerful families of the merchant class, although some went to tradesmen. By 1700, the Manhattan bank of the river had been "wharfed-out" up to around Whitehall Street , narrowing the strait of the river. After the signing of the Montgomerie Charter in the late 1720s, another 127 acres of land along the Manhattan shore of the East River was authorized to be filled-in, this time to
41268-517: The river became the location for the limited-access East River Drive , which was later renamed after Franklin Delano Roosevelt , and is universally known by New Yorkers as the "FDR Drive". The road is sometimes at grade, sometimes runs under locations such as the site of the Headquarters of the United Nations and Carl Schurz Park and Gracie Mansion – the mayor's official residence, and is at time double-decked, because Hell Gate provides no room for more landfill. It begins at Battery Park , runs past
41496-404: The river was, at mean low tide, 168 feet (51 m) deep. The broadness of the river's channel south of Roosevelt Island is caused by the dipping of the hardy Fordham gneiss underlying the island under the less strong Inwood marble which lies under the river bed. Why the river turns to the east as it approaches the three lower Manhattan bridges is geologically unknown. Roosevelt Island ,
41724-423: The river, and even after the construction of the Croton Aqueduct (1842) and then the New Croton Aqueduct (1890) gave rise to indoor plumbing , the waste that was flushed away into the sewers , where it mixed with ground runoff, ran directly into the river, untreated. The sewers terminated at the slips where ships docked, until the waste began to build up, preventing dockage, after which the outfalls were moved to
41952-457: The river, under the northern tip of Roosevelt Island, and is expected to not be completed until at least 2026; the Manhattan portion of the tunnel went into service in 2013. Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller founded what is now Rockefeller University in 1901, between 63rd and 64th Streets on the river side of York Avenue , overlooking the river. The university is a research university for doctoral and post-doctoral scholars, primarily in
42180-410: The riverbanks, but their bones – some of which were collected when they washed ashore – were later relocated and are now inside the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument in nearby Fort Greene Park . The existence of the ships and the conditions the men were held in was widely known at the time through letters, diaries and memoirs, and was a factor not only in the attitude of Americans toward the British, but in
42408-469: The same spot by 1798, and when surveyed by Williams in 1807 had deepened to 7 fathoms (42 feet (13 m)) at low tide. What had been almost a bridge between two landforms that were once connected had become a fully navigable channel, thanks to the constriction of the East River and the increased flow it caused. Soon, the current in the East River had become so strong that larger ships had to use auxiliary steam power in order to turn. The continued narrowing of
42636-405: The same time that Hell Gate was being cleared, the Harlem River Ship Canal was being planned. When it was completed in 1895, the "back door" to New York's center of ship-borne trade in the docks and warehouses of the East River was open from two directions, through the cleared East River, and from the Hudson River through the Harlem River to the East River. Ironically, though, while both forks of
42864-426: The schedule; the MTA claims that this change will reduce delays and allow more trains to run. Some have stated that poorly-timed connections, especially to and from Brooklyn shuttles, could lengthen their daily commutes by over 20 minutes. Diesel branches are also not slated to see considerably increased service, as noted by one blogger. Despite this backlash, Lieber urged customers to "give it a chance" and declared that
43092-414: The second option was to build an entirely new station underneath it. The MTA ultimately recommended the second option because it was cheaper and less disruptive to Metro-North service. After reviewing the FEIS for two months, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) gave the project a favorable "Record of Decision"—i.e., approved it. After the September 11, 2001, attacks , the MTA said it would accelerate
43320-425: The seven largest cities in Connecticut . The phrase Tri-State area is usually used to refer to New York , New Jersey , and Connecticut , although an increasing number of people who work in New York City commute from Pennsylvania , particularly from the Lehigh Valley , Bucks County , and Poconos regions in eastern Pennsylvania, making the metropolitan area span across four states. The New York metropolitan area
43548-405: The shoreline was "wharfed out" to the high-water mark by constructing retaining walls that were filled in with every conceivable kind of landfill: excrement, dead animals, ships deliberately sunk in place, ship ballast, and muck dredged from the bottom of the river. On the new land were built warehouses and other structures necessary for the burgeoning sea trade. Many of the "water-lot" grants went to
43776-630: The simultaneous completion of the Main Line Third Track project , reverse-peak service gaps of over 90 minutes along the Main Line were eliminated. Additionally, most branches received service to both Manhattan terminals, with a considerable increase in the total number of trains to and from Manhattan during peak hours. The inconsistent service patterns of most branches were also restructured into simpler patterns with western zones (closer to New York City) and eastern zones (away from New York City). The draft timetables called for more evenly spaced trains. The timetables were also designed to accommodate repairs to
44004-411: The size of the building and moved the structure's cooling towers. Funding for MTA capital projects such as East Side Access, the Second Avenue Subway, and the 7 Subway Extension were included in the Rebuild and Renew Transportation Bond Act of 2005. As part of this act, the state would take on $ 2.9 billion in debt to issue bonds to fund these projects. Voters ultimately approved the bond issue by
44232-427: The span. The Brooklyn Bridge was followed by the Williamsburg Bridge (1903), the Queensboro Bridge (1909), the Manhattan Bridge (1912) and the Hell Gate Railroad Bridge (1916). Later would come the Triborough Bridge (1936), the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge (1939), the Throgs Neck Bridge (1961) and the Rikers Island Bridge (1966). In addition, numerous rail tunnels pass under the East River – most of them part of
44460-422: The stealthy withdrawal across the East River, the American Revolution might have ended much earlier. Wallabout Bay on the River was the site of most of the British prison ships – most notoriously HMS Jersey – where thousands of American prisoners of war were held in terrible conditions. These prisoners had come into the hands of the British after the fall of New York City on September 15, 1776, after
44688-400: The storage yards. Smaller contracts for structural work, environmental monitoring, and data measurement were also awarded. Some Amtrak buildings in Sunnyside Yard were demolished to make room for the East Side Access portals in Queens. In September 2009, the MTA awarded Granite-Traylor-Frontiere Joint Venture a $ 659.2 million contract to use two custom-built 500-ton slurry TBMs to create
44916-522: The subway level of the tunnel opening in 1989. The LIRR tunnel remained unused beneath the subway tracks. In 1994, work began to extend the 63rd Street subway tunnel east to connect to the Queens Boulevard subway line ; the LIRR tunnel was also extended east, under 41st Avenue in Queens to the west side of Northern Boulevard in Queens. The subway connector was opened to full-time F train service in December 2001. Plans were made in 1995 to bring LIRR service to East Midtown, although MTA officials declared that
45144-411: The three westbound Main Line and Port Washington Branch tracks, as well as the construction of a new eastbound Main Line track to replace an existing track, were completed by the end of summer 2018. The last major construction contract—$ 60 million to move tracks in Harold Interlocking and build a tunnel portal structure for Tunnel B/C—was awarded to Skanska in October 2018. Work on the tunnel structure
45372-399: The time, gentlemen, when you could go in twelve feet of water and you could see the pebbles on the bottom of this river." As the water got more polluted, it darkened, underwater vegetation (such as photosynthesizing seagrass) began dying, and as the seagrass beds declined, the many associated species of their ecosystems declined as well, contributing to the decline of the river. Also harmful
45600-434: The transportation center, the mezzanine would be placed above four island platforms and eight tracks, which would be split evenly across two levels, similar to the present terminal under Grand Central. Construction on the project began in 1969. Four 38-foot-square (12 m) prefabricated sections of the 63rd Street Tunnel were constructed under the East River, the first of which was delivered in May 1971. That first section
45828-495: The tunnel boring machines under Second Avenue at 63rd Street in Manhattan using a controlled drill-and-blast method, then assembled and launched each 640-ton machine. The first tunnel boring machine was launched westbound then southbound from the 63rd Street Tunnel in September 2007, and it reached Grand Central Terminal in July 2008. The second machine began boring a parallel tunnel in December 2007 and had completed its tunnel at 37th Street on September 30, 2008. Geocomp Corporation
46056-445: The tunnel lay dormant under Second Avenue at 63rd Street for three decades. By the time that construction on the LIRR tunnel level stopped, the tunnel was built for a distance of 8,600 feet (2,600 m). The 8,600-foot "tunnel to nowhere" was completed "largely for structural reasons – to support the subway tunnel above." The 63rd Street subway line and LIRR tunnel were completed as far as 29th Street in Long Island City , Queens, with
46284-436: The tunnels connecting the LIRR Main Line and the Port Washington Branch to the 63rd Street Tunnel under 41st Avenue. The four tunnels, with precast concrete liners, total 2 miles (3.2 km) in length. The contract included a $ 58 million option to dig three tunnel pits and three emergency shafts and to complete an open cut. The TBMs, which could dig through several types of earth, were the first such machines to be used in
46512-457: The tunnels were created under Park Avenue , between 49th and 51st Streets , by controlled drill-and-blast. The work began in mid-July 2008 and required between six and eight months to complete. In April 2008, the MTA awarded Dragados/Judlau another contract. The $ 506 million contract was for excavating caverns for the three-level platform structures, mezzanine, escalators, passageways, and track crossovers . The MTA gave Gramercy Group Inc.
46740-618: The tunnels. On the evening of January 23, 2023, it was announced that the station would open on January 25; the station opened as scheduled on that date, with the first train leaving Jamaica at 10:45 am. The initial "Grand Central Direct" service ran only between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison, with trains alternatively skipping or serving all intermediate stops. On February 8, 2023, the MTA announced that it would implement full service on February 27, with 296 daily trains operating to or from Grand Central Madison. Extending between Sunnyside Yard in Queens and Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan,
46968-415: The urbanized area: the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and the combined statistical area (CSA). The MSA definition is titled the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area , and includes a population of 20.3 million people by 2017 Census estimates, roughly 1 in 16 Americans and nearly 7 million more than the second-place Los Angeles metropolitan area in the United States. The MSA
47196-444: The valley was home to many factories, including paper mills, but a significant number have closed. After years of lingering pollution, cleanup efforts to improve the Hudson River water quality are currently planned and will be supervised by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Mid-Hudson Valley region of the State of New York is midway between New York City and the state capital of Albany . The area includes
47424-508: The ventilation facility, which also served as an emergency exit. On October 26, 2015, a 1,920-square-foot (178 m) seating area in Grand Central Terminal's lower-level dining concourse was closed to build structural framework that would allow for the construction of stairways and escalators between the concourse and new LIRR station. This was deemed a major milestone in the construction of East Side Access by Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction . On November 10, 2015,
47652-404: The world, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S., and the only U.S. metropolitan area home to more than 20 million residents as of the 2020 United States census . The vast metropolitan area includes New York City , the nation's most populous city, Long Island , the mid and lower Hudson Valley in New York state , fourteen counties, eleven of the largest cities in New Jersey , and six of
47880-484: The world. The New York metropolitan area continues to be the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States , having the largest foreign-born population of any metropolitan region in the world. The metropolitan statistical area covers 6,720 sq mi (17,405 km ) while the combined statistical area is 13,318 sq mi (34,493 km ), encompassing an ethnically and geographically diverse region. The New York metropolitan area's population
48108-476: The years. A pseudonymous "Terra Firma" brought up filling in the East River again in the Evening Post and Scientific American in 1904, and Thomas Alva Edison took it up in 1906. Then Thomas Kennard Thompson, a bridge and railway engineer, proposed in 1913 to fill in the river from Hell Gate to the tip of Manhattan and, as Serrell had suggested, make a new canalized East River, only this time from Flushing Bay to Jamaica Bay . He would also expand Brooklyn into
48336-422: Was Penn Station , on the west side of the island. East Side Access was based on transit plans from the 1950s, though an LIRR terminal on Manhattan's East Side was first proposed in 1963. The planned LIRR line was included in the 1968 Program for Action of transit improvements in the New York City area. Lack of funds prevented the construction of any part of the connection other than the 63rd Street Tunnel under
48564-416: Was a particularly delicate and expensive task because of the elevated BMT Astoria Line and the underground IND Queens Boulevard Line directly above. The existing tunnel bellmouth west of Northern Boulevard was expanded to serve as the staging area for the Manhattan work, bringing in workers, equipment and supplies, and bringing out the muck and debris from excavation. A temporary narrow-gauge railway and
48792-473: Was an increase in the speed of its current. Buttermilk Channel , the strait that divides Governors Island from Red Hook in Brooklyn, and which is located directly south of the "mouth" of the East River, was in the early 17th century a fordable waterway across which cattle could be driven. Further investigation by Colonel Jonathan Williams determined that the channel was by 1776 three fathoms deep (18 feet (5.5 m)), five fathoms deep (30 feet (9.1 m)) in
49020-403: Was being built in each cavern, with one 1,020-foot-long (310 m) train platform and two tracks each on the top and bottom levels. A passenger concourse was being constructed between each cavern's upper and lower levels. An upper-level concourse, accessed by a series of stairs, elevators, and escalators, would replace ten tracks on the west side of Metro-North's Madison Yard. The cavern structure
49248-464: Was delayed by more than a decade. The new station and tunnels opened with limited service to Jamaica station in Queens on January 25, 2023, before full service began on February 27, 2023. The estimated cost of the project rose over threefold from US$ 3.5 billion to US$ 11.1 billion as of April 2018, making it one of the world's most expensive underground rail-construction projects. The new LIRR terminal contains eight tracks and four platforms in
49476-449: Was delayed several times during construction. The East Side Access project was based on regional planning proposals that were first brought up in the 1950s. In March 1954, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) issued a $ 658 million construction program. The proposal included a tunnel for the Second Avenue Subway , which would cross the East River between 76th Street in Manhattan and Astoria in Queens before continuing onto
49704-413: Was done, and the Civil War soon broke out. In the late 1860s, after the Civil War, Congress realized the military importance of having easily navigable waterways, and charged the Army Corps of Engineers with clearing Hell Gate. Newton estimated that the operation would cost about half as much as the annual losses in shipping. The 2021 book by Thomas Barthel titled Opening the East River: John Newton and
49932-442: Was expected to run from mid-2019 to mid-2021. Work on the Midday Storage Yard also progressed, and by 2019, tracks were being laid in the storage yard. The portal for Tunnel B/C was completed by early 2021, and the yard was 99 percent complete by that May. By May 2021, finishes were being placed in the station; the third rail, signals, and other right-of-way equipment were being tested. On October 31, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul rode
50160-462: Was hired to monitor the boring, using a battery of instruments to record vibration, ground settlement and any tilting or drift suffered by the tunnel boring machines. The instruments include inclinometers , extensometers , seismographs , observation wells, dynamic strain gauges , tilt meters and automated motorized total stations with prismatic targets. The tunnel boring machines bored an average of 50 feet (15 meters) per day. Cross-connections between
50388-429: Was issued for the detonating device. After the explosion, the rock debris was dredged and dropped into a deep part of the river. This was not repeated at the later Flood Rock explosion. On October 10, 1885, the Corps carried out the largest explosion in this process, annihilating Flood Rock with 300,000 pounds (140,000 kg) of explosives. The blast was felt as far away as Princeton, New Jersey (50 miles). It sent
50616-454: Was like "a peaceable fellow enough when he has no liquor at all, or when he has a skinful, but who, when half-seas over, plays the very devil." The tidal regime is complex, with the two major tides – from the Long Island Sound and from the Atlantic Ocean – separated by about two hours; and this is without consideration of the tidal influence of the Harlem River, all of which creates a "dangerous cataract", as one ship's captain put it. The river
50844-400: Was little reported social unrest during the Northeast Blackout of 1965 , but the New York City Blackout of 1977 led to massive rioting, looting, and arson in some parts of the city. In addition, the 1970s recession crippled traditional industries such as manufacturing in the New York City region. A rare positive highlight of the period was the completion of the original World Trade Center ,
51072-419: Was lowered into place on August 29, 1971, and the last section was lowered on March 14, 1972. The double-deck, 3,140-foot (960 m) tunnel under the East River was "holed through" on October 10, 1972, with the separate sections of tunnels being connected. The estimated cost of the project was $ 341 million, and the MTA applied for $ 227 million in Federal funds. Plans to build the Manhattan terminal in
51300-404: Was more economical than disassembling them in Queens and selling them for scrap, which could have added $ 9 million to the project's final cost. The next step in construction was to make cast-in-place concrete sections to create the tunnel lining. Each tunnel was 22 feet (7 meters) in diameter, with an average depth of 140 feet (43 m) beneath street level. In September 2014, the MTA opened
51528-402: Was once also known as the Sound River . The tidal strait changes its direction of flow regularly, and is subject to strong fluctuations in its current, which are accentuated by its narrowness and variety of depths. The waterway is navigable for its entire length of 16 miles (26 km), and was historically the center of maritime activities in the city. Technically a drowned valley , like
51756-402: Was the general destruction of the once plentiful oyster beds in the waters around the city, and the over-fishing of menhaden , or mossbunker , a small silvery fish which had been used since the time of the Native Americans for fertilizing crops – however it took 8,000 of these schooling fish to fertilize a single acre, so mechanized fishing using the purse seine was developed, and eventually
51984-434: Was the site of one of the greatest disasters in the history of New York City when, in June 1904, the PS General Slocum sank near North Brother Island due to a fire. It was carrying 1,400 German-Americans to a picnic site on Long Island for an annual outing. There were only 321 survivors of the disaster , one of the worst losses of life in the city's long history, and a devastating blow to the Little Germany neighborhood on
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