© Ithaca Builds, 2024
October 28, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Here are some updated photos of the Commons Rebuild project from today and late last week. The excavation outside the Maté Factor is for a new sanitary service, and the main Tompkins Trust building on Bank Alley is being connected to the new water main along Bank Alley. According to the project site, four more buildings on State Street remain to be connected to the new water main, along with two on Bank Alley (including Tompkins Trust).
October 22, 2013 // by James Douglas
Downtown pedestrians will have noticed that sidewalk work at Breckenridge has essentially been completed over the past several weeks. I’ve gotta say, it’s really nice to start imagining this location being a functional intersection again, after months of construction activity and disruption.
October 19, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Here are some photos along the pathway of the future trail to connect the Cass Park loop with the trail meeting the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. Besides the two bridges to be built across the inlet alongside Route 96, the path will go from the north alongside the end of 3rd Street, around Cornell’s Collyer boathouse and Ithaca College’s new (2010) Tallman boathouse, alongside the western shore before the inlet (around Cayuga Lake Cruises, Instant Printing, Enterprise), then west along Route 96.
The inlet portion of Route 96 seems to have plenty of space, and the trailhead sign and map are already located in a small park on the western side. The plan documents are here in a previous post.
October 7, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Soo… at long last, like many other folks that use the current trails, I was overjoyed to see these plans pop-up for City Planning Board consideration. These Phase Two plans are for the anticipated connection between the Stewart Park/Golf Course waterfront trail section and the Cass Park trail section, including bridges spanning the two waterways between the Cayuga inlet island. The plans show a proposed path from the Park Road trail section, then over the inlet following the Cliff Street and Buffalo Street bridges, and up along the inlet waterfront to just past 3rd Street, where the current trail meets and wraps around the Ithaca Farmer’s Market.
The Cayuga Waterfront Trail Initiative just launched a new website, which will likely provide further information on the proposed connection.
The design work was completed by Bergman Associates, and the new pedestrian/bike bridges will be accepting bids for design, fabricate and build pricing from the bridge contractors listed on the bridge scope document below.
September 23, 2013 // by Jason Henderson
Here are some shots of the Commons taken today and last week. The new piping for the main water line has been one of the major focuses this past week as the lateral connections off the water main are connected to the portions of the new water main, more telecommunication work continues to free those sections up, and the contractors will begin with final flushing and pressure testing this week.
All the work being done until winter is concerned with the center section of the Commons, so once all the utility work is completed, all the pavers and center section amenities will go in. Come Spring 2014, the sidewalks adjacent to private properties will be opened-up and worked on.
May 14, 2013 // by James Douglas
The Commons is being rebuilt from the ground up, completely overhauling the original 1974 design. The Commons Rebuild will replace the existing water & gas mains, sanitary lines, storm drainage, telecom & electric service, and the existing surface design with an emphasis on open space (good-bye, pavilions.), and also serve as a hub for TCAT busses.
The Commons rebuild is being funded with $4.9m from the City of Ithaca, $3.5m from a Federal Transportation Administration State of Good Repair grant, $1.8 from the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, $600,000 from the NYS Department of Transportation, and $500,000 from the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (the Commercial Business District’s “BID”, or Business Improvement District, funded through an additional tax levy on parcels in the CBD).
Phase one of the Commons Rebuild, including deconstruction of the current surface and replacement of the underground utilities is scheduled to wrap up before winter hits in December 2013. Phase two, the construction of new surface elements and amenities, is expected to last for five months, with an expected start date of March 1, 2014, ending in July.
Be sure to check out the project site for even more updates.
