Monday, June 9, 2014

Areas Of Roosevelt Island Getting A Makeover - Motorgate Atrium Getting A Cleaning With Power Washing Starting Today And AVAC Garbage Compound Debris Removed Last Week

Reported last week on the clean up of the Roosevelt Island AVAC garbage compound by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) together with local building staff and the NYC Department of Sanitation. Today RIOC is starting a clean up

Image of Motorgate Atrium Entrance

of the Roosevelt Island Motorgate Atrium.

Image Of Motorgate Atrium Interior

According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):
Beginning next Monday, June 9th at 8:30 AM, the Atrium of the Motorgate Parking Garage (628 Main St.) will undergo a power washing. This work is scheduled to be completed on or before Friday, June 13th. Sections of the Atrium will be temporarily closed to the public while the work is being performed. Use of the Atrium's elevators will not be affected.

Sincerely,

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Advisories Group

6 comments :

Nick said...

I'm assuming there's no plan to get the escalators working again?

Nick said...

(not that they're really needed)

RooseveltIslander said...

My understanding is that RIOC wants to take the escalators out but there is disagreement with Manhattan Park, co-owners of Motorgate, with how the removal will be paid for.

A bit more info at this prior post.
http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2012/01/broken-for-10-years-roosevelt-island.html

RooseveltIslander said...

RIOC President Indelicato clarified my statement above to report that
RIOC is working collaboratively with Manhattan Park Management.

She
noted that disagreements with Manhattan Park over Motorgate issues are in the past.

Ms Indelicato also reported that the Motorgate escalator is
not currently a subject of discussion between RIOC and Manhattan Park.

Nick said...

Interesting. As a relative newcomer, I find the overall design of Motorgate puzzling. It's like it has the infrastructure of a busy transit station -- rather than a somewhat sleepy parking garage.

Frank Farance said...

Mr. Nick: It its heyday, Motorgate was a transit hub, especially for the months the tram was out when the replaced the cable (oops, dropped the cable on the FDR). The idea of Motorgate was: there would be City transit buses up top (Steinway Transit, see "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queens_Surface_Corporation"), and then the red bus was the local Island transit. The City bus would circle at the top of the Motorgate by the top of the escalators, and the bus would circle back into Queens (thus, the big looping turn avoiding coming onto the Island). Also at the time, there was a guard booth at the top of the ramp, with stop-go traffic lights. There were three (or was it four?) lanes: one outbound to Queens, the guard both, one inbound to the Island (where you'd pass the guard and get a parking pass), and then the right lane (for the bus stop at the doors).

But, hey, that idea is coming back. At the MTA Bus meeting here about a month or two ago, I suggested that the Q104 bus be extended from Queens (presently terminates around 34 av and Vernon) and continue to Roosevelt Island to the Motorgate stop on top. It would give convenient access to Broadway in Astoria, and also connect to Sunnyside.