So, when will arena plaza revamp be completed? October goal unlikely, as much work remains, especially near benches behind transit entrance.

Oct. 26 photos by Norman Oder

Everything always takes longer, right? And that includes work to replace the pavers and lighting at the plaza--er, SeatGeek Plaza--outside the Barclays Center, which has been truncated since early June.

The Barclays Center operating company did not meet its initial goal of completing the plaza revamp by September, nor its updated (as of September) goal of mid-October. 

Thanks to a surge of workers, they did get the key section of the plaza--where arenagoers enter--finished just in time for the Brooklyn Nets' Oct. 19 season opener.

But much work remains, especially in the area between the transit entrance and the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues, and that doesn't look to be done by the end of the month, another stated goal. That's where benches are supposed to serve the public.

More work near transit entrance

I asked arena spokeswoman Mandy Gutmann for an update on the current targeted completion date, but didn't hear back.

Yesterday, as shown in the photo at left, the work crew was focused not in the area behind the transit entrance but rather the section not far from the entrance, on the way toward the arena entrance doors. 

The crew seemed significantly smaller than the one last week.

Down escalator down

Meanwhile, as shown in the photo below, the down escalator wasn't functioning yesterday, so commuters had to take the stairs.

The escalators are often out of service and, as I've suggested, the arena operator, which is responsible for the escalators, should offer real-time updates on service levels and plans for repairs.

The advertising canvas features the team's ten-year anniversary logo.

Another view 

Below, another view of the zone flanking the transit entrance, near Flatbush Avenue. Wrapping the structure is a promotion for the New York Liberty, also owned by Nets owner Joe Tsai.

The stained sidewalk

As I've written previously, the next job, presumably, after revamping the plaza might be to replace the sidewalk stained by ten years of dripping from the pre-rusted metal facade. But that may not work, if the stains simply recur. The arena operator wasn't able to clean it steadily, as initially promised.