The news broke this past March that the G’s Greenpoint Station will get elevators installed, a long awaited help for those commuters with mobility issues. In July, the MTA updated this with news that construction for this project will begin in early September.
This renovation is part of the Fast Forward Plan, which has the goal of completing the assurance from MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford, “no one will ever be more than two stations away from a fully accessible subway station” in five years. The plan also proposes making more than 180 subway stations ADA accessible over course of 10 years.
The Greenpoint Avenue G elevator project will install three new elevators and update station infrastructure such as stairs, handrails, turnstiles, powered gates, and Braille signage. An elevator will link the southern end of the station mezzanine to the sidewalk on the east side of Manhattan Avenue between Greenpoint Avenue and Kent Street. Two other elevators will provide access to the northbound and southbound platforms, respectively, from the station mezzanine. In addition, the station agent booth will be modified to a wheelchair user-friendly height and new sidewalk pedestrian ramps will be installed.
When this project was in the design phase, Andrew Inglesby, Assistant Director, Govt. and Community Relations at MTA NYC Transit, presented the proposed plan at the March 13th Community Board 1 Meeting. The community questioned the location of the street elevator due to its draw to vagrants using the bus stop that is a feet away from the proposed street elevator as a case reference. In particular, Jeremy Rosen, whose family has an eighty -plus year history in North Brooklyn, spoke up because the street elevator will obscure his Bread Brothers Manhattan Avenue location. He applauded the efforts of the MTA in adapting to ADA, but felt there might be a better location for this elevator. Inglesby responded to all requests to relocate the elevator that they looked at all the options for this elevator and that was the best place for it. The other two elevators will be underground on the subway’s mezzanine level.
Once construction begins it is expected to take 28 months. More than 9,400 weekday customers use the station, which will remain open to service during the work, though short-term outages such as one-way station bypasses are expected to accommodate work that requires platform or track access. Announcements, signage and outreach to the affected communities and local elected officials detailing those service changes will be posted and disseminated ahead of each service change as they are scheduled.
The $23.4 million contract for the Greenpoint Avenue G elevator project was awarded to Paul J. Scariano Inc.
The Greenline 