From crumbling stations receiving $100 million in renovations to the MTA’s Re-NEW-vation Program which works to deep clean and renovate various subway stations, NYC’s subway system has, thankfully, been receiving some much-needed upgrades–and the MTA isn’t stopping there.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently awarded $343 million in federal funding to help eight transit systems in eight different states make their rail stations ADA accessible, and five different subway stations will receive $156.5 million of that funding.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated:
We are not only modernizing our nation’s infrastructure, we are doing so in a way that makes it more accessible for older Americans, people with disabilities, and all transit users. This initiative…is retrofitting old rail stations with elevators, ramps, and more, to make sure that our public transportation is more accessible for millions of Americans going about their daily lives.
The $156.5 million worth of upgrades will improve accessibility at the Wakefield-241st Street, Kingsbridge Road, and 167th Street stations in the Bronx, the 145th Street station in Harlem, and the 110th Street station in East Harlem. Improvements include:
- Installing elevators
- Updating platforms to reduce gaps
- Adding tactile platform edge warning strips
- Making stairway repairs
- Improving signage
- Improving visual and audio systems
Beyond NYC, NJ Transit will receive $83.3 million to improve accessibility at the Brick Church station in East Orange, which is among the most used on the Morris and Essex line according to NJ Transit.
The FTA didn’t explicitly state how long it will take for the repairs to be made.