On March 3rd, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and Oculus will open its doors to the public for the first time. The aesthetically pleasing structure that has been a fixture of Lower Manhattan will be partially open at 3 p.m. this Thursday, March 3rd. Initially, access will only be available at the corner of Liberty and Church Streets. Other entrances will be phased in over the course of the next few months. After years of construction, the Oculus is expected to be fully operational by spring.
“The World Trade Center PATH Hub was a challenging project for the agency in terms of timetable and costs, but the men and women of the Port Authority and the contractors who worked on this nationally important infrastructure project should be rightly proud of their efforts,’’ said Port Authority Chairman John Degnan in a press release.
Upon its completion, the station will represent the most unified network of underground commuter connections in the city with access to 11 different subway lines, PATH trains and the Battery Park Ferry terminal.
The Oculus is the brainchild of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who first revealed his design for the transit hub in 2004. The conceptual design of the building symbolizes a bird mid-flight. The estimated square footage of the building is a sprawling 800,000 square feet and is expected to be utilized by 100,000 commuters daily. Consumers and tourists will unquestionably increase these numbers.
Port Authority Vice Chairman Scott Rechler stated that “Lower Manhattan soon will have an architecturally visionary 21st century rail station, combined with world-class retail shops that will be a focal point for downtown commerce.”
At the total cost of 4 billion dollars, the structure now holds the title of the world’s most expensive train station ever built.
-by James Baginski
