The Times Square Business Improvement District (TS-BID) has announced the following advisories. Theatre patrons may want to adjust travel plans to avoid the following hot spots.
For the interim period through New Year's Eve, the new stairs at the northern end of the N/R platform connecting to the BMT mezzanine will be open Nov. 23. These stairs will remain open through the New Year, but will close again to enable the reconstruction of the mezzanine. Once the mezzanine project is completed, the stairs will reopen permanently. The passageway connecting the N/R line to the 1/2/3/9 line at 41st Street is due to open on schedule by March 31. In the meantime, transfers between the two lines must still be made at the northern end (at 42nd Street.)
The subway entrance on the southwest side of 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, in front of the Disney Store, will reopen on Nov. 22. The entrance on the northwest side, in front of the Reuters construction site, will reopen approximately two weeks later. The token booth at the south side of 42nd and Seventh Avenue will be a 24-hour token booth; however, the eastside token booth at 41st and Seventh Avenue will remain closed for the time being.
The sidewalk along Broadway between 41st and 42nd Streets is currently open and under repair. To insure public safety, the sidewalks will be closed or decked prior to the Thanksgiving Day parade. Ultimately, they will be repaved with glass block panels to create a skylight effect in the subway station below.
For the weekend, the following closures can be expected in the greater theatre district: On Broadway between West 42nd Street and West 43rd Street -- two lanes will be maintained during crane operations on Saturday from 12:01 AM - 1 PM and on Sunday from 12:01 AM - 6 PM.
On West 42nd Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue -- one lane in each direction will be maintained during crane operations on Saturday and/or Sunday from 1 AM - 1 PM.
On West 43rd Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue -- this street will be closed during crane operations and local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
On West 43rd Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway this street will be closed during crane operations and local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
On West 43rd Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue -- 16 feet adjacent to the south curb will be closed during crane operations on Saturday and/or Sunday from 7 AM to Noon.
On West 44th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue -- one lane will be maintained during crane operations on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
On West 46th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue -- one lane will be maintained during crane operations on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
On West 49th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue-- this street will be closed during crane operations and local and emergency traffic will be maintained at all times on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
On Eighth Avenue between West 50th Street and West 51st Street -- three lanes will be maintained during crane operations on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM to 6 PM.
On Broadway between West 52nd Street and West 53rd Street -- two lanes will be maintained during crane operations on Saturday and/or Sunday from 8 AM - 6 PM.
Finally, on Sunday Nov. 14, from 11AM - 6 PM, 52nd Street will be closed from Lexington Avenue to Sixth Avenue for the "52nd Street Tourist Expo."
-- By Murdoch McBride
