The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) completed construction of three fully ADA accessible elevators to the 59 St. N, R station in Brooklyn.
In addition to the elevators, crews expanded the mezzanine and built new stairs at the Sunset Park subway station. The project also includes a new public address speaker system and new fire alarms among other upgrades. Associated street-level and station finishes will be completed by the end of this year.
The project completion comes at a time when the MTA forecasts a deficit of $16 billion through 2024 and is urgently asking Congress for $12 billion in emergency aid in its next COVID-19 relief package. With federal uncertainty looming, the authority has suspended awarding new capital contracts except for those that are funded under previous programs or make use of use-it-or-lose-it federal dollars.
“This is yet another crucial project that makes the subway system more accessible to more people at more places,” said Janno Lieber, president of MTA Construction & Development. “The federal government stepping up to deliver funds to the MTA will enable us to make the largest investment in accessibility in the history of the system. Before the pandemic, we had planned to begin accessibility upgrades at 39 stations this year as part of the 70-station plan we set forth in our 2020-2024 Capital Plan. Right now, how quickly we can fulfill that plan depends on the federal government taking swift action and we are hopeful a new administration will do just that.”
“This is another momentous day for New York City Transit. We are still in the throes of a devastating pandemic, but we have to continue thinking about what this system will look like when we get to the other side of this crisis,” said New York City Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg. “At the heart of that future is making the system as accessible as possible so that all New Yorkers can benefit from mass transit.”
The work is part of a broader push aimed at taking advantage of low ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating the timeline for completing key projects. It includes one mezzanine-to-street elevator and a pair or mezzanine-to-platform elevators and also expands the station’s northside mezzanine. By the end of next month, workers are expected to complete the construction of street curb cuts and station finishes.
