By Joseph Morales

           The New York City Subway is among the busiest subway systems in the World. During 2021, the system served approximately 2.4 million riders daily, though this total represented only about 45% of pre-pandemic levels.  NYC’s Subway system provides the freedom for most of its riders to get around to many points of the city through its 472 stations across its 24 subway routes and 3 shuttle services. 

             Unfortunately, for those with mobility disabilities only 24% of these stations are ADA-accessible. This tally might even include stations that are only accessible in one direction or do not allow for ADA-Accessible transfers or the ability for one to use every route in a station. This forced many with accessibility needs to take buses to and from accessible stations, use the woefully unreliable Access-A-Ride system or skip out on their trips entirely. This leads to many people missing out on jobs , recreation and other opportunities as well as other daily activities.

              To help address some of the system’s accessibility needs, the MTA has awarded a $93.2 million contract to Tully Construction Company. Inc in order to design and construct elevators at the Tremont Av(B, D) station on the Concourse Line and the 149th St-Grand Concourse(2,4,5) station in order to make both stations fully ADA-Accessible. This will mean the construction of one street to mezzanine elevator and two-mezzanine to platform elevators at the Tremont Av station, and a three-stop elevator connecting the street, upper platform and lower mezzanine in addition to two elevators that would allow for connections between the upper platform, lower mezzanine and lower platform. The choice to build the amount of elevators that will be built at each station was likely to ensure that enough elevator capacity will be provided to meet capacity needs for the number of riders anticipated to use the elevators daily in addition to ensuring that the elevators will connect riders to all parts of the station. The contract included an early completion incentive as well as liquidated damages for extended project durations that result from contractor-related delays. 

Elevator under construction at Tremont Av(B, D) station on the Concourse Line.

              Tully Construction Company.Inc is one of America’s largest privately held  construction firms that has been in the construction industry for more than eight decades. The company also has a plethora of experience on construction projects both across the country and in the New York area including the construction of the modern 96th Street Subway Station on the recently built Second Avenue Subway. They have hired another experienced company STV. Inc to be a part of the design-build team on the elevator projects. 

                Making these stations ADA-Accessible will lead to huge benefits for the riders that need them. Outside of those with mobility disabilities, ADA-Accessibility upgrades at stations, particularly elevators can make it easier for the elderly, those who are pregnant, those with strollers and children, as well as all others who may find it difficult or tedious to use stairs the ability to seamlessly access the station. The presence of elevators may also help to reduce crowding on stairs. 

                 Though it may not seem like the most extraordinary MTA project, for those who need them, adding major accessibility upgrades to a subway station is the equivalent to opening up a brand new station to so many riders. The 149th St-Grand Concourse Station being ADA-Accessible will allow riders access to many destinations such as Lincoln Hospital, Hostos Community College and Bronx Terminal Market. This will also afford these riders an opportunity to transfer between the (2, 4, 5) lines. This will allow those with mobility disabilities to seamlessly transfer between the 5 and 4 trains in both directions in The Bronx for the very first time.  Riders here would previously had to take the slow Bx19 bus to 3 Av-149th St for the 2 or 5 or take the Bx1 to 161st-Yankee Stadium and find a way to make it a block to the 161st-Yankee Stadium station to access the 4 train. 4 train riders also would have taken the Bx19 to the 5 and transferred to the 4 at 125th St. If that sounded like a lot to explain in regards to commuting options, that is just a glimpse into what it is like for someone with mobility disabilities to plan a subway trip in New York City, something the MTA plans to change at this station as well as at Tremont Ave in this particular project.

Elevator shaft under construction at 149th St-Grand Concourse(4,5) subway station.

                

As for the Tremont Av project, the project will also provide connections to key destinations in a mixed-use residential community. Riders here will also be spared from bus rides in order to access accessible stations on the Concourse Line. 

New elevator shaft under construction at Tremont Av(B, D) subway station.              

 According to MTA Construction And Development Project CEO James Bowles, the project at the 149th St-Grand Concourse Station is expected to be completed in December 2023. As for the Tremont Av Station project, the last update given by the MTA said that the project should take 24 months to complete, this would have meant that the project would be done by October of this year which could mean that the project is experiencing delays. The projects were bundled to reduce the time and cost on the project due to extraordinarily low ridership at the time the project was announced in July 2020. Still, subway ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels, as according to The City’s “How New York City Doing?” recovery tracker, ridership at the 149th St-Grand Concourse station has reached 43.5% of pre-pandemic levels and the Tremont Av station is at an even lower 31.8% of pre-pandemic levels. 

               As the MTA seeks to make 95% of stations ADA-Accessible by 2055, projects like these are crucial steps to ensuring that goal becomes a reality. The ability for the MTA to bundle projects and take other measures to increase efficiency for these projects will also be critical given the engineering complexities involved with installing subway elevators. The completion of these projects and others citywide, will help make transportation equitable for all New Yorkers regardless of age or ability.

Works Cited

Bhat, Suhail, and Will Welch. “How’s New York City Doing?” THE CITY, 22 November 2022, https://projects.thecity.nyc/hows-new-york-city-doing/index.html#subway-ridership. Accessed 25 November 2022.

“Subway and bus ridership for 2021 – New York City Transit.” MTA, 2022, https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2021. Accessed 25 November 2022.

“Ask the MTA | OMNY benefits and Bronx station construction.” amNewYork, 6 November 2022, https://www.amny.com/new-york/ask-the-mta-omny-bronx-station-construction/. Accessed 25 November 2022.

“MTA Announces Accelerated Accessibility Projects for Bronx Subway Complex and Station.” MTA, 2020, https://new.mta.info/MTA-Announces-Accelerated-Accessibility-Projects-for-Bronx-Subway-Complex-and-Station. Accessed 25 November 2022.

“149 St-Grand Concourse and Tremont Avenue Station Accessibility Improvements.” STV inc, https://stvinc.com/project/149-st-grand-concourse-and-tremont-avenue-station-accessibility-improvements. Accessed 25 November 2022.

Parry, Bill. “Accessibility on the horizon for A train station in Arverne – QNS.com.” QNS, 13 January 2021, https://qns.com/2021/01/accessibility-on-the-horizon-for-a-train-station-in-arverne/. Accessed 25 November 2022.

“2nd Avenue Subway 96th Street Station – The Tully Group.” The Tully Group, https://www.tullygroup.us/capabilities/2nd-avenue-subway-96th-street-station/. Accessed 25 November 2022.

Pacchiana, George. “About – The Tully Group.” The Tully Group, https://www.tullygroup.us/about/. Accessed 25 November 2022.