Accessibility

MTA Reveals First 48 Stations For Accessibility Upgrades

The goal, the agency said earlier this week, would be to pick stations that would fill immediate gaps so that riders will no longer ever be more than two stops from a station with an elevator.

By Dave Colon

12:40 PM EDT on September 20, 2019

MTA Reveals First 48 Stations For Accessibility Upgrades

Broadway Junction, where the escalators often break as one did here last July, is one of the stations slated to get accessibility upgrades from the MTA. Photo: Julianne Cuba

The MTA released a list of the first 48 stations that will be receiving accessibility upgrades during the upcoming 2020-2024 capital plan late Thursday night, giving advocates and the public the first look at an actual piece of the $51-billion spending program.

Transit hubs like Broadway Junction, the 14th Street L/F/M/1/2/3 and Hoyt-Schermerhorn stations are all included on the initial list of stations slated for elevators and other accessibility upgrades, for which the MTA has proposed spending $5.5 billion. The bulk of the station upgrades will go into Brooklyn (21 stations) and Manhattan (12 stations), while there are six stations each in the Bronx and Queens and 3 on the Staten Island Railway. All told, the upgrades average out to $78,571,428.60 per station.

The goal, the agency said earlier this week, would be to pick stations that would fill immediate gaps so that riders will no longer ever be more than two stops from a station with an elevator.

According to the MTA, 22 more stations will be identified by the transit agency before the five-year capital program is finalized. The criteria for selecting the 22 additional stations “which stations can be modified in the most efficient manner on the shortest timeline with minimal disruption to service, and public engagement with local stakeholders” according to the MTA.

The transit authority also included a history lesson with their press release, informing the public that “New York City subway stations, many of which were built nearly a century ago and predate the Americans with Disabilities Act, were built in densely populated areas that have since been further developed.” In 2019 alone, a State Supreme Court judge and a federal district judge found that argument unconvincing in two separate lawsuits over the subway system’s accessibility failings.

Here’s all the stations slated for accessibility upgrades:

Manhattan

Essex St J,M,Z
Delancey St. F
42 St-Bryant Park B,D,F,M/5 Av 7
6 Av L
14 St. F, M
14 St. 1,2,3
96 St. B,C
81 St-Museum of Natural History B,C
Dyckman St. 1
168 St. 1
137 St. 1
86 St. 4,5,6

Brooklyn

Broadway Junction J,z
Broadway Junction L
Lorimer St. L
Metropolitan Av. G
36 St. D, N, R
Church Av. B,Q
Avenue H Q
Sheepshead Bay B,Q
Kings Highway N
Norwood Av. J,Z
Myrtle Av. J,M,Z
Grand St. L
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. A,C,G
7 Av. F, G
Avenue I F
Kings Hwy F
Neptune Av. F
Classon Av. G
Junius St. 3
New Lots Av. 3
Borough Hall 4,5

Bronx

Van Cortlandt Park-242 St. 1
Tremont Av. B,D
Parkchester 6
E 149 St. 6
Brook Av. 6
Mosholu Pkwy 4

Queens

Beach 67 St. a
Briarwood E,F
Broadway N,W
Woodhaven Blvd M,R
Steinway St. M, R
Rockaway Blvd A

Staten Island Railroad

Clifton
New Dorp
Huguenot

Dave Colon

Dave Colon is a reporter from Long Beach, a barrier island off of the coast of Long Island that you can bike to from the city. It’s a real nice ride. He’s previously been the editor of Brokelyn, a reporter at Gothamist, a freelance reporter and delivered freshly baked bread by bike.

Accessibility | MTA

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.