Lower Manhattan Update – 11/3/12
The Downtown Alliance is producing a twice a day email to provide you with all of the updates that could affect your home or office in Lower Manhattan with information from various agencies including New York City, New York State, MTA, Port Authority, Con Ed and more. If you would like to subscribe, please click here.
Power
Con Edison
Last night ConEdison restored power to over 8k customers in the City Hall network – Broadway to East River, Canal to Frankfort with a sliver to Wall Street.
The Madison Square network was also restored bringing power to 30k customers – from 5th Avenue to the East River and 30th/31st Streets to 14th Street.
Con Edison has restored 135k in Manhattan; 122k in Brooklyn; 85k+ in Staten Island; 75k in Westchester; 39k in the Bronx; and 29k in Queens.
With power back, MTA evening bus service extends below 23rd Street on SBS, M15, M5, M101, M102, and M103.
For more information on where power is still out, please check the Con Ed Power outage Map http://apps.coned.com/stormcenter_external/default.html
Transportation
Airports
LaGuardia Airport, JFK International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport are open and carriers have resumed normal flight volume. Stewart International Airport and Teterboro Airport also are operating normally.
AirTrain JFK service is restored to the loop serving all terminals, as well from the Jamaica and Howard Beach stations to Federal Circle. Service has not resumed between Federal Circle and the loop serving the terminals, but bus service is available to cover that gap.
AirTrain Newark continues to operate at full service taking passengers to the NEC where they can take Amtrak (limited services) to Newark Penn Station and Philadelphia.
Port Authority Bus Terminal
Many carriers have returned to full service, with the bus terminal receiving approximately 80 percent of its normal weekday volume.
Ports
The Port Authority’s maritime facilities remain closed until further notice as recovery and clean up efforts continue. Restoration of power by our utility providers is a primary requirement in getting the ports operational.
Port Authority staff and engineers remain on site at all Port Authority facilities to inspect conditions, assess damage, and perform repair work. For up-to-date information on our facilities, follow us on Twitter @PANYNJ. For further information for New York State, visithttp://www.governor.ny.gov/stormwatch. For New Jersey, visit www.ready.nj.gov.
Metro North
With the re-establishment of Hudson Line service from Croton-Harmon to Poughkeepsie, Metro-North will resume operating regular train service on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines starting today, November 3rd.
On the Hudson Line, regularly scheduled service will be restored between Poughkeepsie and Croton-Harmon/Grand Central Terminal. See a Hudson Line Timetable or Metro-North TripPlanner (Schedules) for details.
On the Harlem Line, regularly scheduled service continues between Southeast and Grand Central Terminal.
See a Harlem Line Timetable or Metro-North TripPlanner (Schedules) for details.
On the New Haven Line, regularly scheduled service continues between New Haven/Stamford and Grand Central Terminal.
See a New Haven Line Timetable or Metro-North TripPlanner (Schedules) for details.
LIRR
MTA Long Island Rail Road has restored hourly weekend service (Saturday, November 3 & Sunday, November 4) to the LIRR’s four largest branches (Port Washington, Ronkonkoma, Babylon and Huntington) to Penn Station, as work continues around the clock to repair the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.
Subways
NYC Transit has restored subway service on three additional lines, providing riders with additional travel options as work to restore the subway to full strength continues. This morning service began operating between E. 180th St and Dyre Ave in the North Bronx. The train is operating from 34th St-Herald Square to Jamaica Center/Parsons-Archer. Additionally, Flushing Line trains are running between Main Street and 74th St/Broadway, where customers can transfer to Queens Boulevard and local trains for service into Manhattan via 63rd Street. In both cases, this is limited capacity service, with ten minute intervals between trains.
See the most up to date subway service map here: http://t.co/R9aBikar.
Ferries
- Staten Island Ferry service is running and will be back on its full schedule tomorrow.
- The East River Ferry is running
- World Financial Ferry Terminal: There is limited weekend ferry service, with more expanded service resuming effective Monday. For specific details on locations and times, please visit nywaterway.com.
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NY Waterway announced that the East River Ferry will resume its regular schedule beginning Saturday, November 3rd. The ferries will run on the regular route, using the standard 399-passenger boats and making all stops, with the exception of India Street/Greenpoint terminal, which will remain closed throughout the weekend due to ongoing repairs to the landing. Ferries will arrive in 40-minute intervals.
On Monday, November 5, the East River Ferry will also return to full weekday service, which will include an additional boat to further increase capacity. Crews are presently working on the India Street/Greenpoint landing with the expectation to have it restored by Monday morning.
Due to damage to ticketing equipment, NY Waterway will be selling tickets onboard the ferry, available by cash only. Customers are encouraged to download the FREE NY Waterway App, available for download from our website, the Android Marketplace and the iTunes App Store, and will work with all Android and Apple iOS-run smartphones as well as iPads.
For full details and routes for weekend and weekday service visit, please visit www.eastriverferry.com or www.facebook.com/EastRiverFerry
Bridges and Tunnels
The Outerbridge Crossing, George Washington, Goethals, and Bayonne bridges and the Lincoln Tunnel are open.
One lane of the south tube of the Holland Tunnel is open to bus commuters traveling eastbound from New Jersey to Manhattan from 5:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and westbound returning to New Jersey from 1:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
MTA’s two tunnels, the Queens Midtown and Hugh L. Carey (formerly Brooklyn-Battery) were overcome by tidal surges during Superstorm Sandy and remain closed. Recovery efforts have begun and water is still being pumped out of both tunnels, which were filled with water from floor to ceiling at the height of the storm. All MTA Bridges are open. Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge may be subject to periodic closures into the Rockaways for emergency vehicles and equipment.
Roadways:
- Traffic is very heavy in the city, particularly on routes into Manhattan. We strongly urge people to not take their cars into Manhattan if at all possible.
- The 3-person HOV restriction on crossings into Manhattan expired at 5pm today.
- The Holland Tunnel is open to commercial vehicles and buses. Details here: http://www.panynj.gov/alerts-advisories/inclement-weather.html
- The Hugh Carey Brooklyn Battery Tunnel is still closed.
- Alternate side parking is will be in effect tomorrow (Saturday).
- Meters are in effect.
PATH
PATH service is still suspended
NJ Transit
NJ Transit services have been restored on a limited basis. Details are here: njtransit.com.
Downtown Connection
The Downtown Alliance Downtown Connection Free Bus service will begin running limited service today.
Additional Information
Food & Water Distribution Sites:
- Today we had 13 food and water distribution sites set up in the hardest-hit areas of the city.
- Yesterday we distributed 290,000 meals and almost 500,000 bottles of water and did a full distribution today.
- These sites are staffed by NYC Service volunteers, the Salvation Army, and the National Guard.
- The details of these sites, including the exact locations and hours of operation, can be found here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/foodandwater.html
- The sites will be open from 1-5 tomorrow and Sunday.
- We will keep them operational for as long as is needed.
- Each person will be able to take three meals and five bottles of water at these sites.
- People should bring their own bags to carry their food and water.
- We are distributing hundreds of thousands of flyers in English, Spanish, and Chinese to get word out to these impacted communities.
- AT&T will bring pods that provide cell service and charging stations to the areas around the food distribution sites, and also throughout Zone A.
Water:
- New York City tap water is safe.
- However water in Breezy Point is not potable and should not be consumed in any way.
- Visit nyc.gov/health for more information.
Schools:
- Public schools will be open on Monday.
- However, 65 schools will not open on Monday because of damage from the storm. Students from those schools will not report to school on Monday as we repair damage and determine any necessary relocations
- Information about these 65 schools and more can be found online at: nyc.gov/schools
Building Inspections:
- The Department of Buildings is inspecting buildings in hard-hit Zone A areas to assess their structural integrity. There are three areas where these inspections are happening: Staten Island, the Rockaways, and Lower Manhattan.
- Buildings will be tagged with one of three color placards to indicate their safety:
- Green: the building is safe to enter
- Red: the building is not safe and may not be entered
- Yellow: it can be occupied conditionally (i.e. one floor may be safe while another is not.) These conditions would be explained on the placard.
- Building owners can also self-certify with the Department of Buildings.
Construction:
We have lifted the ban on exterior construction work that we imposed before the storm.
Sanitation:
- The Department of Sanitation is collecting garbage
- They are not collecting recycling.
Business Updates
BMCC
Will continue to do whatever it takes to remain on track for resuming classes on Monday, November 5. Please check our Website, college email, and our BMCC Facebook page for notices confirming our actual schedule.
ANDAZ WALL STREET FARMERS MARKET
While the Andaz Wall Street Hotel remains closed, the farmers market returns today on Wall and Water Streets.
Pound & Pence
Pound & Pence will be opening on Monday at 11:30am
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