By Joseph Morales

The E 149th St station on the Pelham Line(6 train) is located between the Mott Haven and Hunts Point neighborhoods in the South Bronx. The station is located in a primarily residential community with many small businesses along the surrounding streets. The station is also just a short walk from the verdant St. Mary’s Park, which is used by Bronxites from throughout the borough.

Unfortunately, none of the stations along the 6 train south of the Hunts Point Av station, including the E 149th St station, are accessible for those with mobility disabilities. To get to Hunts Point Av, one would have to take the Bx19 bus northbound to Southern Blvd/E 163rd St. Not only would Manhattan-bound commuters be traveling in the opposite direction while using this option, but they would also have to rely on a bus that has often been considered one of the slowest and least reliable buses in The Bronx. While the ADA-accessible 3 Av-149th St is closer than Hunts Point Av(6), this station serves the 2 and 5 lines, which both travel to different sections of The Bronx than the 6 train. Even for Manhattan-bound commuters, given the fact that the 6 train runs local via the Lexington Av line rather than the 5, which runs express, those who would have otherwise used the E 149th St station to get to local stops in Manhattan must instead transfer across the platform at the bustling 125th Station in East Harlem which can be an arduous task even for non-disabled individuals.  In addition, as this station is 0.8 miles or a 15 min walk from the E 149th St station, riders here might also have to rely on the Bx19 bus to get there. These issues are also exasperated by the fact that in the community board districts within walking distance of the station, only 26% of households have a car. Thus, more residents in these districts who cannot utilize the subway station are likely burdened by longer commutes than residents near other non-accessible stations.

Fortunately for these riders, a new elevator is being constructed at the E 149th St station and should be open by December of this year, according to the MTA’s Capital Plan Dashboard. The project, which has been ongoing since December 2020, will allow for full the station to be fully accessible as well as be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA). The elevators will also prevent riders with mobility disabilities from making longer and more tedious trips to their destinations. In addition to the elevators, the station is already equipped with FareGates, known as AutoGates, which provides riders with mobility disabilities a way to enter the system without using a turnstile or emergency exit. An AutoGate is a door that opens upon OMNY or MetroCard fare payment rather than a turnstile, and they are present at all ADA-accessible subway stations in the subway system.

                   The addition of the elevators at this station is also particularly important as the South Bronx is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the entire city, with many new developments occurring in the area and massive job growth. While the most significant waves of growth in the South Bronx are expected further north and west in the South Bronx, closer to the Harlem River waterfront and Manhattan, population and particularly employment is still expected to grow at higher rates near the E 149th St(6) subway station than in other areas of The Bronx according to the MTA’s Bronx Bus Network Redesign Existing Conditions Report published in February 2019.

                     This growth has even been occurring directly at the station’s doorstep, with a massive 587,000-square-foot mixed-used development known as Crossroads Plaza being built adjacent to the station. The development includes 425 affordable housing units, a playground, 60,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space, and a 20,000 sq ft pedestrian plaza. The commercial space includes an Essen Urgent Care, a Universal Pre-K Center, and a family/ children’s social services center run by the non-profit The New York Foundling. With this development being completed in 2019 and the urgent care center opening in October 2021, an accessible subway station will allow both residents as well as users of the development’s numerous public facilities to take full advantage of the nearby rapid transit access to get to and from their destinations much more seamlessly.

                      With growth on the horizon in the South Bronx and many communities in the South Bronx, accessible public transit, particularly in the form of subway service, is going to be crucial in ensuring that all individuals, regardless of ability, can have liberty as to where they work, go to school and live their lives. Projects like the one at the E 149th St(6) station will help to move New York City in that direction toward an equitable and prosperous future for all New Yorkers.

Works Cited

New York City Department of City Planning-Transportation. Tableau, 24 November 2022, https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/dcptransportation/viz/ACSProfiles/Dashboard1. Accessed 29 July 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. MTA, Q1 2023, http://web.mta.info/capitaldashboard/CPDPlan.html?PLN=8&AGY=a. Accessed 29 July 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Reduced-Fare AutoGate MetroCard.” MTA, 16 November 2022, https://new.mta.info/accessibility/travel/MTA-railroads/reduced-fare-autogate-metrocard. Accessed 30 July 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Bronx Bus Network Redesign Existing Conditions Report.” MTA, February 2019, https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/2019-03/77_19_BBNRExisting_Working%20File_Final_Low%20Rez.pdf. Accessed 30 July 2023.

Cohen, Jason. “Mixed-use Crossroads Plaza development in Mott Haven receives final OK from city – Bronx Times.” Bronx Times, 25 March 2022, https://www.bxtimes.com/crossroads-plaza-development-in-mott-haven/. Accessed 29 July 2023.

REW. “Douglaston completes build-out for urgent care center at Crossroads Plaza.” Real Estate Weekly, 15 October 2021, https://rew-online.com/douglaston-completes-build-out-for-urgent-care-center-at-crossroads-plaza/. Accessed 29 July 2023.