Manhattan’s U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman and the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Eric Dreiband announced today that they have reached an agreement withRelated Companiesto help make the notorious Vessel atHudson Yardsmore accessible. The$150-million-projectwill be getting a “one-of-a-kind platform lift mechanism” on the upper levels so that people with disabilities can reach the top level and take in the views of Manhattan’s west side and beyond. Currently, the upper levels of the Vessel—a series of interlocking stairways with over 2,400 individual risers—can not be accessed without taking the steps, violatingADA rules. Although the structure has a lift (the curvy “Liberty Elevator”), it’s failed to satisfy regulators.
As a释放from the Department of Justice notes, Related described the托马斯·赫斯维克-designedstructure as “a ‘public landmark’ that ‘will lift the public up, offering a multitude of ways to engage with and experience New York, Hudson Yards and each other.'” However this public seemingly does not include those with mobility concerns: Only three of the Vessel’s 80 landings are accessible by elevator, which at times only goes to one of those platforms in order to manage traffic. The new agreement also requires that the current elevator stop at any level it can, if requested.
There is no word yet on what precise technology will be used or how much of a cost it will add to Related’s multibillion-dollar project, which is already no stranger to controversy for itstax breaks and other publicly-funded incentives,private hospital, proportedart washing,labor practices,allegedlyshoddy construction,exclusivity, andmega-mall-like atmosphere.
