pads attached to the concrete track bed, thereby dampening noise from trains. Lighting, power and signal equipment for the Chrystie Street tunnel had been installed by January 1965. At that time, the project was projected to be completed in 1967, with the portion involving the opening of the Grand Street station to be finished in 1966. Opening and use The first part of the connection, including the Grand Street station, opened on November 26, 1967, when the link between the Sixth Avenue Line and the Manhattan Bridge north tracks opened. The connection was fully opened on July 1, 1968, with the opening of the 57th Street station and the opening of the connection between the Sixth Avenue Line and the Williamsburg Bridge. With the connection completed, the most significant service changes ever carried out in the subway's history were introduced. Upon this station's opening the routes of the B and D were rerouted via the new connection. BB trains were relabeled the B, and began to run to Coney Island via the Chrystie Street Connection, the Manhattan Bridge north tracks, Fourth Avenue Line express tracks, and the West End Line. D trains were rerouted from the Culver Line to run to Coney Island via the new Sixth Avenue express tracks, the Chrystie Street Connection, the Manhattan Bridge north tracks, and the Brighton Line. When the north Manhattan Bridge tracks were closed for repairs from 1986 to 1988, in 1995, and from 2001 to 2004, this station was served by the Grand Street Shuttle to the Sixth Avenue Line and there was no subway service to Brooklyn. A shuttle bus replaced service to Brooklyn from 2001 to 2004. Station layout The station has two tracks and two narrow side platforms, located approximately below ground. They are column-less, except at staircases, and have a blue trim line with "GRAND ST" in white sans-serif font on it at regular intervals. In the original plan for the station, this would have been a four-track, two-island platform station; the Second Avenue Subway would have served the outer tracks while the Sixth Avenue Line served the inner tracks, providing a cross-platform interchange between these two lines. Although the connection only served Sixth Avenue Line trains, it was essentially the first part of the Second Avenue line that had been constructed. There is a sole mezzanine at the center of the station which has two staircases to