(rshsdepot) Poughkeepsie, NY

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo links:
http://www.rrhistorical-2.com/rlhs/images/namn02.gif  (exterior photo)
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/localnews/stories/lo070802s3p1.jpg
(newspaper photo showing new platform)

City train station transformation nears end

Project completion expected in August

By Rob Seetoo
Poughkeepsie Journal

With a rotunda that offers a grand view of the Hudson River and a covered,
435-foot walkway from Main Street into the station, the Poughkeepsie Train
Station has taken on a new look. The centerpiece of the $22 million project
is a 540-space parking garage, which has been open since October. ''We're
hoping that the first week of August, the whole project will be finished,''
said Bruce Pastre of BBL Construction Services of Albany, the general
contractor for the project. It would be the end of more than two years of
work. With completion of the work nearing, a visit from Gov. George Pataki
is likely, though no date has been set yet. ''We're planning a big ceremony.
We expect that the governor will come,'' said Marjorie Anders, spokeswoman
for Metro-North Railroad, which runs the station. Pavan Adusumilli, who
commutes to his job at a software company in Manhattan, likes the
convenience the garage offers. He's been using the garage ''right from day
one.'' ''The only thing is, it's not too clean,'' Adusumilli said. There are
now 1,170 parking spaces available, a mix of daily-fee and metered spaces.
The garage has helped alleviate a parking crunch along lower Main Street and
the waterfront. Historical look maintained Many have praised the look of the
garage, which reflects the 1918 construction of the station. As she toured
the station last week, city Mayor Colette Lafuente was very excited about
its look and what it means to the city. ''It will become more of an asset to
the city as time goes on,'' she said. ''This is so much more beautiful than
we expected.'' Penny Taillon of Canton, Saint Lawrence County, was impressed
with the view of the river from the rotunda, which is next to the third
level of the garage. ''It's nice. I've never been down here before,''
Taillon said before greeting two people she was picking up from New York
City. Ironworkers recently completed railings leading to the train platforms
and expansion joints underneath the concrete walkway. ''It's looking good,''
Bob Anger, a member of Local 417, said.

  Bernie Wagenblast
  Transportation Communications Newsletter
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/transport-communications/


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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