A groundbreaking ceremony was held on November 25, 1957, with Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr. and TA officials in attendance. The project was constructed in conjunction with the addition of express tracks on the Sixth Avenue Line between 34th Street and West 4th Street, and reconfiguration of the DeKalb Avenue interlocking on the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge. It was expected that the project would be finished in three years. In 1962, the Sixth Avenue extension to the new terminal at 57th Street was announced. During construction, the entire seven-block length of Chrystie Street was closed until 1964.