$1.6b Javits Center expansion finally gets underway.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Governor George E. Pataki announced the start of construction on the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center expansion and renovation project.

Phase I of the project, expected to cost about $1.68 billion, will increase exhibition space at Javits by 45% and will begin with the demolition of two buildings totaling 500,000 s/f on the north side of the site to make way for construction. Phase I is expected to be finished in 2010.

Edward J. Malloy, president, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York said, "We commend Governor George Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno for their leadership in bringing this long overdue project to fruition.

"We further commend them all for assuring that this project will create thousands of construction jobs that pay prevailing wages with health and pension benefits and promote apprenticeship opportunities to train and employ new members of our industry." The Mayor and Gover nor also announced the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Javits Convention Center hotel on 11th Avenue.

The first phase of the expansion project will create approximately 340,000 s/f of new exhibition space, including approximately 65,000 s/f of ballroom space that can act as swing exhibition space. This increases the total exhibition space at Javits by 45% to 1.1 million square feet.

The plan also calls for an increase in the total meeting room space from 30,000 to 210,000 s/f. An additional 50,000 s/f of meeting room space will be available in the new Javits Convention Center hotel. The second phase of construction will create an additional 500,000 s/f of contiguous exhibition space.

The cost of Phase I, including construction costs, land acquisition and other non-construction costs is currently estimated to be approximately $1.68 billion. The City will contribute $350 million and the State will contribute $350 million through a state supported credit in conjunction with a restructuring of existing Javits Center bonds. An additional $645 million funding will be raised through the sale of bonds backed by a dedicated $1.50 per key surcharge that the hotel industry has begun to collect. The balance of the funding will be obtained from Javits' sale or lease of its current truck marshalling facility located between 33rd and 34th streets for mixed-use development.

The Javits Convention Center hotel will be located on 11th Avenue between 35th and 36th Streets. The hotel will have a minimum of 1,000 rooms and a minimum of 50,000 square feet of meeting, ballroom and pre-function space and will be connected directly to the Convention Center via an underground connection; the site will accommodate the entrance and exit ramps for the Mid-Block Boulevard Garage and No. 7 Subway vent shaft and related mechanical infrastructure.

A new multi-level truck security screening, marshalling and loading facility is being designed by A. Epstein Architects, one of the leading convention center architects in the country. Epstein is part of the Javits architectural team led by world-renowned architect Richard Rogers.

The team also includes New York City-based FXFowle Architects, which has been involved in several projects in Times Square and Manhattan's West Side.

Several modifications to the General Project Plan (GPP) adopted in April were made based on public comments and design refinements, but one increased the overall square footage of the expansion project. The modifications include: moving the truck screening facility from 40th Street to 12th Avenue to increase operating efficiency and reduce the impact on the front of the Convention Center; the relocation of about 30,000 square feet of new exhibition space from Level 1 to Level 3, creating an increased amount of contiguous space; and several other refinements.