ABSTRACT
The design and planning for the construction of a new North-South and East-West passageway consists of the improvement for the patron access and circulation to better accommodate the anticipated increased passenger flow within the Grand Central Station – 42nd Street & Lexington Avenue, New York City. The ‘NEW’ passageway includes the break-in of an existing over 100-year-old (Flushing Line) station cavern above live tracks incorporating an innovative design and implementing a protective structure to allow for safe train operations without interruption to service and minimizing any impacts to the passenger circulation experience during the construction phase. Construction of the new passageway follows the Sequential Excavation Method through Manhattan Schist. This paper will present the innovative solutions incorporated into the preliminary design and planning phases while considering each aspect of construction access, site logistics, risk management, structural retrofitting, instrumentation and monitoring, and impact assessments.
