MTA Partners with SYSTRA on Flood Control Improvements

The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has partnered with SYSTRA, HNTB, Grimshaw Architects, and its other partners to design multi-purpose street furniture that also addresses the highly publicized subway system flooding.

The prototype, as shown to the left, resulted from a detailed design effort that considered not only flooding vulnerabilities, but also ventilation performance, constructability, and transferability to other locations. A rigorous stakeholder and community outreach process followed which resulted in elevated ventilation gratings that protect the NYCT system and also double as pedestrian benches and bicycle racks.

The prototype, located at 151 West Broadway in Lower Manhattan, NY, will be replicated at 15 locations along West Broadway between Chambers and Leonard Streets, and on Varick Street between Leonard and Franklin Streets.  Some of the locations are within the TriBeCa South Historic and West Historic districts, and the transparent nature of the design ensured approval by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.