Yesterday the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) announced that 70 subway stations across the city will receive $5.5 billion in accessibility upgrades making them fully ADA compliant.
Only 48 stations have been identified as of now and The Bronx stations that will be included in the 2020-2024 Capital Plan are as follows:
Van Cortlandt Park-242 St
Tremont Av *(will be fast-tracked into the 2015-2019 plan)
Parkchester
E 149 St
Brook Av
Mosholu Pkwy
According to the MTA, the stations were chosen based on the following criteria:
Other factors that were taken into consideration included major transfer stations and station complexes, ridership, demographics, and technical and geographic issues that would affect costs and constructability. The selection process was driven by extensive community input, including public engagement events, outreach to advocates and community groups, as well as feedback from thousands of elected officials, advocates and customers with disabilities. Similar outreach will be conducted to identify the next 22 stations, which will be announced prior to the MTA Capital Program Review Board vote on the entire Capital Plan proposal.
New York City subway stations, many of which were built nearly a century ago and predate the Americans with Disabilities Act, were built in densely populated areas that have since been further developed. Technical and geographic issues included evaluations of the area immediately surrounding each station under consideration, such as any need to move utilities, access provided by third parties, acquisition or real estate needs, sidewalk clearances, sidewalk curb depths, clearance within each station on platforms and for machinery or equipment required for the accessibility.
No timeline was given as to when the remaining 22 stations would be selected but we hope that The Bronx gets a decent share.
Which stations do you think the MTA should choose next?
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