NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Region 1Albany - Essex - Greene - Rensselaer - Saratoga

Schenectady - Warren - Washington

Pearl Street Revitalization Project

For over three hundred years Pearl Street has been thehub of downtown Albany, New York’s capital, and the oldestincorporated city in the United States. Pearl Street’s historiccharacter amid its vibrant current businesses presented achallenge to NYSDOT’s engineers to design a rehabilitationproject, that would include upgrading the road, street scape andmany miles of subsurface utilities per block.

NYSDOT’s staff worked with the City of Albany,Capitalize Albany, Albany Downtown Business ImprovementDistrict, Federal Highway Administration, CDTA, NiagaraMohawk, N.Y. State Historic Preservation Office, and BellAtlantic to reconstruct an environment that is attractive toresidents, businesses, consumers, and visitors alike whileboosting the economy. The reconstruction includes the wideningof sidewalks, reconstruction of the roadway, utility upgrading,and the installation of decorative paver sidewalk accents, periodlighting and signs, benches, landscaping and decorative busshelters.

During construction NYSDOT’s staff implemented anArcheological Data Recovery Plan to protect and collectarcheological objects of historic and prehistoric significancediscovered. This plan has allowed for several objects to berecovered in the first phase of the project. More information onthe archeological findings on Pearl Street on this can be foundat www.nysm.nysed.gov/arccrsppearlst.html

The end result of phase one has beenpositive. The widening of the sidewalks hasallowed more space for enhanced landscapingand gathering places. By having shortercrosswalks, Pearl Street will help makedowntown more pedestrian friendly. Lighting alsocontributes to safety while achieving a highquality streetscape. The historic style lighting,signal poles, benches, and decorative paversalso attribute to the aesthetic character of thedowntown area.

DESIGN TEAM: Ray Hessinger, Steve Rutkey, Lorinda Tennyson, Linda Payette, P.Howard, J.Franchini andMatt BromirskiCONSTRUCTION: Thomas Giammattei

After

Before

Before

Before After

After

Corner of Pearl St. and Madison Ave., the south end of Phase 1, looking north.

Pearl St. near the Pepsi Arena, looking north.

Pearl Street Revitalization (continued)

Pearl St. & Beaver St., looking south.