17 New Elevators Will be Built at Eight Stations
The Project is Being Funded by Federal Grant Money Already Received by the MTA
Winning Proposal Includes a Separate 15-year Maintenance Agreement
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced an accessibility project including eight stations throughout the five boroughs that will result in 17 new elevators. This project is being funded by federal grant money already received by the MTA and highlights the Authority’s ongoing commitment to systemwide accessibility.
The aggressive pace of work is a hallmark of the new MTA Construction & Development (C&D) organization, finding new ways of doing business to drive down costs and perform work more quickly. The winning proposal, which came in at a cost below the MTA's budget estimates, includes a separate 15-year maintenance agreement, making it a design-build-maintain (DBM) project.
The MTA’s $54.8 billion 2020-2024 Capital Plan and its 2015-2019 Capital Plan amendment included funding for 70 ADA projects in the subway system and the Staten Island Railway. But most of the capital plan is on-hold due to the COVID-19 crisis. The only way to ensure that this initiative -- the largest commitment to new ADA stations in history -- moves forward is for the federal government to deliver significant funding to the MTA as part of any future COVID relief package. However, the eight ADA elevator projects awarded in this procurement were able to move forward because of existing federal grant money.
“Our commitment to improving accessibility remains a priority despite the difficult financial situation the MTA is facing,” said Janno Lieber, President of MTA Construction & Development. “These improvements are great news for our customers and reflect Construction & Development’s innovative strategies to better deliver projects faster and more efficiently than ever before -- using design build project delivery, incentives for cutting schedules, and packaging multiple ADA stations into more efficient bundles."
“Modernizing our system is critically important -- but our North Star must always be making sure our transit system is accessible for absolutely everyone,” said Sarah Feinberg, Interim President of New York City Transit. “Ensuring every New Yorker has equal access to the system is not just a top priority, it is a necessity. This is a major step towards that goal.”
The following stations are included in this project:
Brooklyn:
- 7th Av - 3 elevators
- Grand St - 2 elevators
- Metropolitan Av-Lorimer St - 5 elevators
3 at Lorimer St
2 at Metropolitan Av
The Bronx:
- E 149 St - 2 elevators
Manhattan:
- Dyckman St - 1 elevator
* The Dyckman St station is already accessible in the southbound direction. This project will add an elevator on the northbound side.
Queens:
- Beach 67 St - 2 elevators
Staten Island:
- New Dorp - 2 elevators
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the MTA has added elevators to subway stations at the fastest pace in agency history, bringing accessibility to these nine stations in 2020:
- 1 Av (Manhattan)
- 59 St-Fourth Av (Brooklyn)
- 86 St (Brooklyn)
- Astoria Blvd (Queens)
- Bedford Av (Brooklyn)
- Bedford Park Blvd (The Bronx)
- Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy
- Chambers St (Manhattan)
- Greenpoint Av (Brooklyn)