Connecting Midtown to West Side
While Manhattan’s Midtown West Side, including the neighborhoods of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, has become a fashionable area, mass transportation services have not developed at the same pace. The No. 7 Line Subway currently terminates at Times Square, leaving the West Side off-track.
Flushing – West 25th non-stop
However, help is on its way. New York never sleeps and Skanska is busy night and day below ground to extend the No. 7 Line Subway between Times Square and West 25th Street in New York. In 2014, passengers will be able to continue their trip all the way from Flushing, Queens, westward to 11th Avenue on the same train line. There, the line turns south and proceeds down to West 25th Street.
Ten feet below bus terminal
The 200-meter long TBMs (tunnel boring machine) have drilled two 1.6-kilometer (5,200-foot) tunnels. The project also comprises a 400-meter (1,300-foot) cavern station at 34th Street. At one point, the No. 7 Line trains will run only 3 meters (10 feet) under the busy Port Authority bus terminal. Here, the cut-and-cover method was used.
Ten months early
The 57-month tunneling and cavern project was completed 10 months ahead of schedule. Now work is proceeding on the No. 7 Line finishes and systems, another contract which was awarded to Skanska.
Times Square home team
The Times Square area has become home ground for the company. Skanska upgraded the Times Square Subway Station, New York City’s largest and busiest subway stop, in the early 2000s. In addition, Skanska completed the NASDAQ Times Square Center, the corner of which features what was at the time the world’s largest LCD screen.