The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will continue with its elevator replacement at Clark Street 2,3 subway station in Brooklyn Heights over an eight-month period, where all three elevators will be repaired simultaneously.
MTA says this approach minimizes the duration of the project and avoids up to two years of service unpredictability. The contract for the project will be awarded later this year. Local bus service will be enhanced during construction to accommodate affected customers.
Because Clark Street is a deep cavern station accessible only by elevator, the station will close while this work is underway, and customers will be directed to nearby stations. The start and end dates for the elevator replacement work will be announced after the contract is awarded.
“This plan reduces the length of construction time at Clark Street to just eight months and eliminates uncertainty for our customers,” said New York City Transit President Andy Byford. “We strongly feel our approach minimizes the impact that this disruption will cause. When the elevators return to service, the public can look forward to new elevators with improved reliability. We will continue to work in close collaboration with the community during the duration of this project.”
New York City Transit presented the community with alternatives that would have led to repair work lasting for 22 to 24 months, but would have attempted to maintain train service to the station during construction work in Brooklyn Heights. Under these scenarios, technicians would have worked on one elevator at a time, leaving two elevators in service. But because two elevators are needed to safely maintain train service to this deep cavern station that lacks stairway access, New York City Transit would have had to suddenly and unpredictably suspend train service whenever one of the two remaining elevators was taken out of service. The elevators have been in service for 100 years and are being replaced because they have reached the end of their useful lives.
The upper level of the station will remain open, preserving public access to businesses located there. The MTA will also take steps to minimize the impact on local businesses. Measures being considered include installing and maintaining windscreens on fences and barricades around all work zones incorporating business signage; and installing wayfinding signage so that pedestrians know that businesses on the block are open during construction.
