The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has completed the Flushing-Main Street station 7 improvement project in Queens, totaling an additional 1,200 square feet of space for customer circulation. The work consisted of replacing eight staircases, installing eight new staircases, creating four new points of entry to the station and installing two new fare control areas, for a total of four. The transformative upgrades will improve customer flow, as additional state of good repair work such as steel rehabilitation and waterproofing will ensure the integrity of the station’s infrastructure.
“The Flushing-Main Street subway station 7 expansion was one of the largest modernization projects ever undertaken by the MTA – and it was the right thing to do,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “This station serves about 44,000 customers on an average weekday – the 11th highest ridership across all 472 stations. Installing new staircases, creating new entries and expanding the mezzanine improves the passenger flow and provides a safer, more comfortable commute. This project – delivered on time and under budget! — shows the MTA’s commitment to rebuilding a system to better serve today and tomorrow’s ridership.”
“This project combines critical state of good repair work and station expansion to vastly improve the customer experience for the thousands of daily riders who use Flushing-Main Street station 7,” said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “Implementing innovative contracting tools like Design-Build allowed Construction & Development to deliver this vital project better, faster and cheaper.”
Additionally, as part of the renovation project, the security camera system was replaced with new upgraded equipment and 15 digital screens, along with five new countdown clocks, were installed across platforms and mezzanines, enhancing the customer journey by delivering more real-time and location-specific information. The Flushing-Main Street 7 subway station, a terminal station, is accessible with one elevator serving the Manhattan-bound platform.
The scope of work involved in the project included:
- Installation of four new street-to-mezzanine stairs
- Installation of four new mezzanine-to-platform stairs
- Installation of two new fare control areas
- Rehabilitation of four existing street-to-mezzanine stairs to be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant
- Rehabilitation of four existing mezzanine-to-platform stairs to be ADA compliant
- State of good repair work, including steel rehabilitation, concrete spall and leak mitigation
The Notice to Proceed was issued in December 2021 with actual construction beginning in July 2022, following utility relocation work. The design-build project was completed on-time and approximately $9 million under budget at $48 million despite challenges, including ensuring the structural stability of nearby buildings and managing logistics at the busy Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street intersection.
“I am thrilled with the completion of this important project, which will greatly benefit all the customers who use this busy and vitally important station,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “This project will strongly improve customer circulation at Flushing-Main Street and lead to a much more pleasant experience for so many subway passengers. I look forward to continuing to work with the MTA on similar projects that will improve the experience for all who ride our subway.”
“As a transit hub, Downtown Flushing has one of the busiest subway stations in New York City and with more than 100,000 people passing through every day, the Main Street 7 train station is often packed full of people creating congestion on the sidewalks,” said Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District Executive Director Dian Yu. “With these new staircases, Main Street will hopefully be seeing less overcrowding and more safe and smooth commutes for everyone.”
