UPDATE 03.24.22: Traffic can now go northbound on Lorimer Street from Metropolitan Avenue.
In the past months the sidewalk on Metropolitan between Lorimer and Leonard Streets has been narrowing. Lorimer Street from Metropolitan Avenue to Skillman Avenue has been closed to traffic since the second week of February and is scheduled to continue until the ides of March. Signs on the construction fencing have communicated that (Americans with Disabilities Act) ADA improvements are underway and are to be completed in the third quarter of 2023.
These improvements will provide street and platform elevators, raised boarding areas, ADA-compliant sidewalk curbs, token booth modifications, Braille signage, and more. Supplementary to accessibility upgrades, the station will receive added improvements including: new public staircases, flood resiliency, and structural improvements in addition to new artwork, increased electrical capacity, a fire alarm, and new CCTV.
However, these improvements have negative impacts to area businesses. Last May, community members pushed back at the MTA’s original plan and formed The Friends of Lorimer Station. They supported the ADA improvements, but at issue was the placement and size of the staircases and elevators — as designed they would impede access to local businesses on a narrow street. After several meetings with the MTA one staircase was relocated off Lorimer and onto Metropolitan, although the new location is an obstruction to another business’s emergency exit. “I had hoped they would have put more thought into the design,” said Lisa Summa, one of the founders of The Friends of Lorimer Station. The Friends continue to advocate during the construction. Recently their advocacy got lighting installed as the fencing around the construction caused blackout areas at night.
Constructing these subway upgrades has created detours for bus riders of the B48. Lorimer Street will be temporarily converted to one-way going northbound between Ainslie Street and Skillman Avenue. Because of this temporary conversion, the B48 bus route will be detoured from Lorimer Street between Meeker Avenue and Grand Street. It will operate along Union Avenue between these streets. This detour will be in place until construction activity allows for regular traffic patterns to return to Lorimer Street, expected in 2023. Bus stops on the affected part of Lorimer are temporarily suspended, while additional bus stops are in effect along the detoured route. For more information go to: https://new.mta.info/press-release/mta-issues-update-accessibility-improvements-lorimer-street-l-train-station .
The Greenline 
2 thoughts