The Macy's Fortress in the Financial District is on its way to becoming a much more pedestrian-friendly, open-air shopping complex, and now it's even getting its own access point to the subway station at Seventh Street/Metro Center. Brigham Yen says that the tunnel was approved today by Metro's Board of Directors, and could start construction "very soon." This direct link to the subway is a big win in a chain of big wins for the shopping center, which is now undergoing a total transformation to become The Bloc, a restyled shopping center that will have a movie theater that will sell booze, cool new shops, and a breezy food court.
To make the tunnel, workers will remove the knock-out panels in the subway station, which are designed to be punched out for projects just like this. Construction is expected to be finished late this year, just about the time The Bloc should be opening its renovated doors (developers are hoping to be done in October). The tunnel, which will be next to the ticket machines at the station's eastern Hope Street portal, will be open from 6 am to 10 pm, after which transit passengers will probably have to cross the street like they would have done pre-tunnel.
The project is expected to cost $9.3 million, Metro will split the total expenses ("not to exceed $4.65 million") with The Bloc about 50/50.
· Approved: New Metro Pedestrian Tunnel Linking The Bloc in Downtown LA [BY]
· FiDi's The Bloc Mall Could Get Its Own Subway Entrance [Curbed LA]
· They're About to Tear the Roof Off Downtown's Macy's Fortress [Curbed LA]
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