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An Opening Day Sneak Peak: Construction Continues at Metro-North's Station at Yankee Stadium
Under the ramps of the Major Deegan Expressway and Exterior Street, a new Metro- North Railroad station is taking shape at Yankee Stadium. Today, Yankee fans who park in the west lot will walk over a wide, new overpass that is part of the new station. It connects via a plywood dog leg to the old rounded Plexiglass walkway that comes down at the big bat at Gate 4. Much progress has been made on the $91 million station since the groundbreaking last July. Despite near-constant train traffic and a physically confined work site, much of the utility and foundation work is complete.
"This construction is a challenge both because of its location and its schedule," said Metro-North President Peter A. Cannito. "Everyone is pushing to get it open as close to opening day 2009 as is safely possible."
The four tracks of Metro- North's Hudson Line pass just west of the stadium. The tracks are being relocated about 50 feet west to allow for construction of two center-island platforms. Four 10-car trains will be able to load or unload at one time. All the footings for the western platform are complete and many of the pre-cast slabs that make up the surface of the platform also are in place. The steel elevator tower by the west stairway is in place and the foundations for two other elevators are set. In all, four staircases and two elevators will connect the platforms to a 10,000- square-foot covered mezzanine, connecting to an overpass with a stairway and elevator at each end making the station fully ADA-compliant.
All the foundations and piers for the 450-foot-long, 25-footwide overpass are in place and the part of the overpass that spans the tracks is in use. It does not yet have walls or a ceiling, but protective barriers have been installed. The overpass is just north of 153rd Street. When completed, the overpass will provide Yankees fans with access to westside parking lots and will serve the thousands of fans from New York, Connecticut and New Jersey who choose to take a Metro-North train to the game.
The station, which will become a regular stop for the Hudson Line seven days a week, will present unique logistical challenges on games days. Scheduling game trains around Metro-North's regular schedule of nearly 700 trains each weekday is a puzzle with variables including whether is a day or night game, a weekday or weekend game. Irregularities such as double-headers, rain delays, extra innings, make-up games and potential playoffs will require operating flexibility.
When the Yankee Stadium Station is open in spring 2009, the railroad is planning for up to 10,000 people using the station on game days and up to 5,000 more people who will use the overpass to reach their cars in the west lot.
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