New York’s MTA reopens Cortlandt Street southbound platform
Written by jrood
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reopened the downtown side of the Cortlandt Street R subway station on September 6, in time for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder was joined by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and NYC Councilmember Margaret Chin to celebrate the occasion.
“We made a commitment to have this platform open before the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and today we are here to fulfill that commitment,” said Walder. “I’m so proud that the MTA is able to participate in another vital milestone in the revitalization of Lower Manhattan. Our employees were first responders on that tragic day; we worked tirelessly to bring the subway back just months after the attack and every day since we have been rebuilding and helping the city come back stronger than ever.”
The northbound side of the Cortlandt Street station reopened in November 2009. Now, customers will be able to access the southbound platform through two underground passageways: through the newly constructed Cortlandt Street underpass (where the Margie Hughto wall murals have been reinstalled) or the entrance from One Liberty Plaza.
MTA Capital Construction is responsible for rebuilding the station. Its president, Michael Horodniceanu, stated, “This is a significant customer benefit that we’ve been able to re-open ahead of schedule as we continue to make progress building the Fulton Street Transit Center.”
The collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 caused significant damage to the Cortlandt Street R station as well as the Cortlandt Street station on the 1 line, which remains out of service. The R Line station remained closed for one year while damage from the collapse was repaired. The station then operated from September 15, 2002 until August 20, 2005, when it was closed again for the excavation and construction of the Dey Street Passageway, which is currently under construction by MTA Capital Construction.
The $20 million dollar project to reopen the southbound Cortlandt Street platform was funded by the Port Authority and the MTA.
