NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Another phase in the reconstruction of Penn Station was completed on Tuesday.
"This is a milestone," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber proclaimed as the last of several low-hanging beams known as "head-knockers" was removed from the LIRR concourse. "Everyone who uses the Long Island Rail Road concourse at Penn knows them and hates them. These are the main culprit in making Penn feel so dungeon-like."
Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin joined Lieber to watch as one of the last pieces of the 10-ton steel beams from the original Penn Station was lifted up and out of the 33rd Street Corridor between Seventh and Eighth avenues.
"This renovation brings us one step closer to Gov. Kathy Hochul's vision of a Penn Station that is both commuter-first and community-oriented," Benjamin said. "In modernizing the look and feel of Penn Station, we bring this transit hub into the 21st century."
The beams have historically limited the heights in Penn Station passageways to 6 feet-8 inches and their removal will pave the way to brighter and wider corridors, as well as higher ceilings.
"Removing the head-knockers is key to our plan to create a new Penn Station that can truly be a grand entrance for New York," Lieber said.
"We are letting the sunshine in," Benjamin said, after singing a bit from the 5th Dimension single, "Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In."
Once the $600 million renovation project is complete next year, the concourse will be doubled in size, there will be new elevators and escalators, and the ceilings will be triple in height.
