The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced it has completed the construction of three new elevators now open to customers on the and lines at the Bedford Park Blvd station in The Bronx, and that additional emergency federal funding is critical to the success of the MTA’s aggressive plan to make dozens more stations accessible in its 2020-2024 Capital Plan.
Crews upgraded platform and mezzanine areas to make the Bedford Park Blvd station fully ADA compliant, and to enable safer and easier travel for all customers including those with disabilities.
The three-elevator solution includes a single elevator from street to mezzanine, with two additional elevators serving the northbound and southbound platforms, respectively, making service in both directions fully accessible. With today’s announcement, New York City Transit now has 131 accessible stations throughout the system with more than 20 additional projects in progress including several in the Bronx.
“Adding ADA accessibility is a major priority for the MTA, and we’re thrilled that this project has made transit even more accessible to the dynamic and diverse community around the Bedford Park Boulevard Station,” said MTA Construction & Development President Janno Lieber. “To deliver these important transit projects for our customers we have been working at an aggressive pace to accelerate work forward safely during the Covid crisis while ridership is low.”
“Increasing accessibility of our subway system is a key priority for both the MTA and the City of New York,” said Victor Calise, MTA Board Member and Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. “Even with the serious financial challenges that the MTA is currently facing, I am proud that elevator openings like Bedford Park Blvd are moving forward and I will continue to work closely with MTA leadership to ensure that subway, bus, commuter rail and paratransit meet the needs of all riders—including New Yorkers and visitors with disabilities.”
“I commend all who worked to ensure these critical updates to the Bedford Park Blvd line,” said U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat. “Ensuring substantial investments to the transit systems throughout New York City and in my district remains a top priority. When it comes to making these types of commitments, I’m proud to help secure federal funding to help rebuild our rail lines, roads and bridges. We each have a responsibility to continue our efforts to shape the vision for transportation today in order to successfully meet the needs of our communities in the future.”
“Everyone in The Bronx deserves equal access to our subway system,” said Assemblymember José Rivera. “And today’s investment in this station will help make that possible. I want to thank the MTA for taking another step forward in the right direction.”
ADA and passenger circulation improvements at the station include:
As part of the MTA’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, the 2020-2024 Capital Plan includes a historic investment of $5.2 billion in station accessibility projects.
Under the Capital Plan, the MTA would deliver full ADA compliance at 70 more stations, with four stations charged to the 2015-2019 Plan. The completion of this work
would increase the number of accessible stations by more than 50 percent, guaranteeing no customer would be more than two stations away from an accessible station.
The MTA’s 2020-2024 Capital Plan is currently on hold due to the financial calamity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. MTA officials are urging the federal government to step up and provide the $12 billion in necessary funding to keep the MTA funded through the end of 2021. The MTA continues to lose $200 million a week while subway ridership remains at 30 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
The contract to complete the work at the Bedford Park Blvd station was awarded to Paul J. Scariano Inc., a Brooklyn-based general construction services company. The total cost of construction was $38.2 million with funding coming from the MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan.
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