CHINATOWN — Construction on the Forsyth Street Plaza — described by some as Chinatown’s “mini High Line” — is expected to start next year, city officials said Thursday.
The city expects to break ground on the elevated triangular park, the project’s second phase, in late winter or early spring next year, said Norberto Acevedo Jr., a deputy director from the Department of Design and Construction.
The Forsyth Street Plaza, located at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge and bordered by Forsyth and Canal streets, will provide 10,000 square feet of public space, according to Acevedo’s presentation to Community Board 3’s Transportation and Public Safety Committee Thursday night.
The $3.5 million project is expected to be completed in the fall 2015, according to the DDC.
The project’s first phase, which widened the sidewalk on Forsyth Street between Canal and Division streets, was completed in December 2011, according to reports.
The site will feature granite steps and seating surrounded by plants like weeping cherries and green bamboo, according to the DDC. A stainless steel ramp will make the park wheelchair accessible.
The park will also feature public artwork displayed on stones that line the bike path, which leads onto Canal Street from the bridge, Acevedo said. According to the presentation, the work will incorporate lines from Tang Dynasty poet Li She.
The Department of Transportation has allowed the DDC to work between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, Acevedo said, but their contractors will likely work during the week.
"Saturdays are more of a possibility. Sundays are far and few between," he told the committee.
The DDC will also be required by DOT to maintain pedestrian access and to keep two lanes open on Canal Street and one lane on Forsyth Street, Acevedo said.
The bike path will remain open during construction, Acevedo said, but will be rerouted during part of the construction so that workers can access the area. The temporary path will "kind of bend around that area," he said.
Water service will also be disrupted briefly during construction, he said, so that workers can connect a fire hydrant and water fountain on site to the water main. Notice will be given 72 hours in advance and the impact is expected to be minimal.
“We’re talking about a one or two-day issue that we have to get into the water main there to make sure that the plaza is functional and that may require a shutdown of the water just localized to that area,” Acevedo said.
