Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA

Two Elevators Open at E 149 St 6 Station

Project Completion Marks Fifth of Twelve New ADA Stations Slated for This Year

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the opening of two elevators at E 149 St 6 subway station in the Bronx, making the station fully accessible. This is the fifth accessible station to open this year, following Court Square G station in Queens, Dyckman St 1 station in Upper Manhattan, and 8 Av N station and Grand St L station in Brooklyn. As part of the ADA work, three stairways were replaced and the station is slated to receive additional renovations, including new lighting, platform edges, ventilation, water intrusion remediation, and other state-of-good-repair work.

“Once again, the MTA is proving it’s moving 100 miles an hour when it comes to ADA accessibility – completing project after project five times faster than ever before,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “With 29 additional stations currently under construction and dozens more to come as part of the historic 2020-2024 Capital Program, we are well on our way to delivering the fully accessible system riders deserve, perhaps even sooner than projected.”

This station opening is the latest example of the MTA’s investment in station accessibility across the Bronx. Currently, six Bronx stations are undergoing elevator construction, one of which is expected to be completed later this year, Tremont Av B, D. The other stations in construction are:

  • 149 St-Grand Concourse 2, 5
  • 149 St-Grand Concourse 4 
  • Westchester Sq 6
  • Mosholu Pkwy 4
  • Parkchester 6

The MTA expects to award ADA station upgrades for seven more stations in the Bronx as part of the 2020-2024 Capital Plan. Those stations are:

  • 167 St B, D
  • Van Cortlandt Park-242 St 1
  • Brook Av 6
  • 3 Av-138 St 6
  • Kingsbridge Rd 4
  • Burnside Av 4
  • Wakefield-241 St 2

Further down the timeline, the Penn Station Access project, which will enable Metro-North trains to run to Penn Station via the New Haven Line, will bring four new ADA-compliant Metro-North stations and new transit service to the East Bronx in 2027.

The E 149 St accessibility project was funded by a grant provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and completed as part of a design-build package of eight stations throughout the subway system, the first such bundle undertaken by MTA Construction & Development (C&D) as part of an effort to deliver accessibility upgrades better, faster, and cheaper. The remaining stations from that bundle will open later this year.

Following today’s announcement, there are a total of 29 accessible station projects in construction, with seven of those expected to be complete by the end of 2023. Those stations are:

  • 181 St A
  • Tremont Av B, D
  • Lorimer St L
  • Metropolitan Av G
  • 7 Av F, G
  • Beach-67 St A
  • New Dorp SIR

The Authority is delivering accessibility projects and awarding contracts at an unprecedented pace, five times faster than previous years. The 2020-2024 MTA Capital Plan includes a historic investment of $5.2 billion to make 67 subway stations ADA accessible, more than any capital plan in the MTA’s history and more than the last three capital plans combined.

As part of the station’s accessibility design-build package, MTA Arts & Design announced new mosaic artwork commissioned by artist Glenn Goldberg, Bronx River. Goldberg was inspired by the recent efforts made by environmental groups to clean and restore the Bronx River. Goldberg hopes his colorful, patterned river scenes and its various creatures enliven commuters’ journeys, remind subway riders about their connection to the local landscape and encourage riders to protect the environment.