Award of Merit Rehabilitation and Restoration

Simply put, the Best of 2005 judges called the improvements to State Street in downtown Schenectady "terrific."

"It's a spectacular downtown feature,"one judge said.

The $13 million project aimed to revitalize the city's main downtown corridor and expand economic development opportunities.

The three major components of the project, which was completed in July, were enhancements to a century-old railroad overpass, improvements to the entrance to the city's Veterans Park, and building a new entrance to the Center City Sportsplex, while also renovating its façade.

The project included extensive landscaping work as well as the installation of sculptures and casual seating along the street. The team also created "bulb outs" at intersections that shorten pedestrian crossings and slow traffic at those corners.

The aesthetic and functional overhaul of the railroad overpass, which serves as a visual gateway to downtown, had several elements, including the creation of bus stops under the structure in the style of a New York City subway entrance. The team also installed independent structural steel decorative trusses spanning the roadway and sidewalks to conceal the superstructure of the overpass.

The team installed custom-designed canopies to protect the transit stops, ramps, and sidewalks. New decorative lighting in the trusses, canopies, retaining walls, and under the bridge highlights the features of the overpass and illuminates the area at night for pedestrians.

"What they did to the bridge alone was spectacular," one judge said.

The work on the city-owned sports center involved eliminating the existing below-grade entrance to the building and replacing it with a new elevated entry space that has a patio and can be used as a performance area or for casual dining.

The work on the center also involved constructing a mechanical room that contains operating equipment for an illuminated waterfall as well as electric and control panels for streetscape elements, such as an ornamental clock.

The team enhanced the entrance to Veterans Park by creating a new border using granite columns and a custom-designed ornamental railing. It also built a lighted pedestrian promenade through parallel rows of trees at the entrance.

One of the early project accomplishments was convincing the multiple railroad owners to allow the overpass improvements after they initially had opposed the structural modifications. The team won their approval after developing a report that outlined the proposed changes and described measures to ensure that the exposed columns would be protected from vehicular damage.