The Vessel at Hudson Yards to reopen with new safeguards after NYC string of suicides

Hudson Yards’ famed landmark The Vessel will reopen to visitors later this year with new safety barriers — after a series of suicides shut down the tourist attraction in 2021.

The massive spiral staircase in the ritzy development on the west side of Manhattan will have cut-resistant “floor-to-ceiling steel mesh” on most levels that will be able to withstand the outdoor elements, said a rep with Related companies, the Yards’ owner, Friday.

“Through a closely coordinated effort with Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio, we have developed a plan to install floor-to-ceiling steel mesh on Vessel while also preserving the unique experience that has drawn millions of visitors from around the globe,” the representative said, referring to the design and architecture firm and its founder.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors back to Vessel later this year,” the rep added.

An exact reopening date for 2024 was not revealed.

The top level of the geometric landmark will remain closed because it is not possible to safeguard that part, Related Companies said.

And while the first two levels of the spiraling staircase will be fully reopened, the floors above will only be partially accessible to the public in places where the barriers are added.

The steel mesh is designed to withstand any damage, including from people trying to cut it, and is expected to hold up against nasty weather, Related said.

The structure, the crown jewel of the gleaming Midtown development, which first opened in March 2019, has been closed since August 2021 after four people died by suicide there, including a 14-year-old boy.

In early 2020, a 19-year-old former rugby player from New Jersey became the first to end his life with a plunge from The Vessel.

Shortly before Christmas that same year, Yocheved Gourarie, a 24-year-old Brooklyn woman who had battled anorexia and depression, jumped from the attraction.

Less than a month later, in January 2021, a 21-year-old man suspected of fatally stabbing his mother in Texas also threw himself from the massive structure.

The most recent tragedy was 14-year-old Shiv Kulkarni, who leapt to his death in front of his family in July 2021 – even after the Vessel took some steps to try to prevent such tragedy.

Shiv’s mom, Shilpa Kulkarni, 52, told The Post on Friday that the teen had been “struggling with his mental health” and she had no idea there had been suicides at The Vessel before the family visited the landmark.

“If we had known, there is no way we would have reached there. We went there as a family outing thinking we needed to get him out of New Jersey, something different,” she said.

Shiv jumped from the top level of the 150-foot sculpture fewer than 10 feet from his family.

Kulkarni said she was disappointed and saddened that the family wasn’t contacted ahead of plans to reopen the $200 million structure.

“Related … has not even bothered to reach out. It’s very, very sad that people feel that human connections are not even required. For them, this is all about business, really,” she said. “I do hope they’re doing the right thing so there won’t be any more tragedies like ours.”

In the wake of her son’s shocking sudden death, Kulkarni started Shiv’s Third Eye Foundation, dedicated to helping support young people dealing with mental-health struggles.

Yochaved’s father, Avremi Gourari, told The Post that he hoped “in a cynical kind of way” that Related could use the string of suicides as “a springboard to spread awareness on suicide prevention, mental health and mental well-being.”

As for plans to reopen The Vessel, Gourari said that rather than dwelling on the past, “We should move forward and figure out ways to ensure this kind of tragedy doesn’t happen again.”

This is what [Related] is doing. They’re creating it safely. They’re understanding that safety has to go above architectural beauty.”

The Related rep said a policy that required at least two guests to visit the Hudson Yards centerpiece together would no longer be in effect when it opens up again because of the other new safety measures.

Tickets to enter were previously $10. It was not immediately clear what the price would be when guests are allowed back.

-Additional reporting by Chris Nesi

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.