ADA Megaproject Includes $247 Million in Federal Funding with Nine New Elevators, State of Good Repair Work and Passenger Circulation Improvements
14 St Complex Serves 131,000 Customers Each Day
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the completion of four new elevators providing access to the downtown platform at the 14 St station and the downtown platform, making the entire 14 St Station Complex accessible.
In addition to the accessibility work, crews created an enlarged mezzanine and new concession stand, installed new lighting and tiles, repaired concrete, steel and paint defects, and refinished platforms featuring ADA boarding areas for an improved customer experience. The entire complex has 25 new staircases and 39 renovated staircases, as well as five platform upgrades, which includes new tactile warning strips and ADA boarding areas.
Last month, the MTA opened two elevators providing access to the street level and uptown level at the 14 St station. Earlier this year, the MTA opened three new elevators providing access from the street to the 6 Av L platform and the uptown platform.
“The new MTA is completing accessibility projects five times faster than ever before,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “And one of the main reasons we’re able to open elevators here and throughout the system is the support of the Biden Administration, which contributed $247 million towards this megaproject through USDOT and our congressional delegation, led by Senate Majority Leader Schumer.”
“Newly accessible stations like the 14 St station complex are the fruits of our efforts to deliver projects better, faster, and cheaper,” said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “These accessibility upgrades coupled with critical state of good repair work and station environment improvements have transformed 14 St into a welcoming transit hub for all New Yorkers.”
“In addition to accessibility upgrades, customers at 14 St can look forward to a brighter, cleaner and safer station,” said NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “Looking for ways to improve the customer experience is a priority at NYC Transit, and part of that is making sure the system is accessible for everyone.”
“Accessibility at the 14 St Complex benefits all customers, whether it's older adults and people with disabilities who will use elevators every trip, or caregivers with strollers and customers with luggage or bikes who will take them on occasion,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “The nine elevators in the complex provide many different paths of travel for customers who need elevators and even provide redundant options should one of the elevators be out of service.”
Approximately 131,000 customers use the 14 St Complex on a given weekday. The complex serves six lines in four boroughs, as well as two PATH train lines.
The $300 million megaproject to make ADA upgrades to the 14 St Complex includes $247 million in federal funds. Approximately 23.5% of the project budget has been awarded to DBE firms, which exceeds the project's original 22.5% DBE goal.
The 14 St Station complex also features new artwork by Brooklyn-based artist Fred Tomaselli. Entitled “Wild Things” the suite of six mosaics, commissioned by MTA Arts & Design, can be found along the passageway to 6 Av and the stairs leading to both the uptown and downtown platforms. Tomaselli drew from his own bird watching experiences, focusing on species that live year-round in New York City, including woodpeckers, cardinals, orioles and falcons. The intricate compositions are a collage of vibrant traditional smalti glass, custom-made buttons and printed glass. The glass mosaics employ a variety of fabrication techniques to capture the artist’s original collaged and painted images. The stunning new artwork, with additional sections inside the 14 St-6 Av station, adds more than 680 square feet of mosaic throughout the complex.
“Today's achievement reflects years of vision and the MTA working closely with us at the Federal Transit Administration,” said FTA Region 2 Regional Administrator Michael Culotta. “We want to ensure that when we are making investments in public transit, we are making investments in public transit for everyone, regardless of disability. The Federal Transit Administration is proud to have contributed $200 million towards the ADA improvements at this three-station complex, and we're proud that over the last several years, the Federal Transit Administration has provided the MTA with over $3.3 billion to make improvements throughout its entire transit network.”
“Today is a significant step towards systemwide accessibility for our subway system,” said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. “While the vast majority of New York’s 472 subway stations remain inaccessible, today’s announcement proves that we are well on our way to changing that. The nine new elevators at the 14 St subway station, as well as the platform upgrades and redesigned ADA boarding areas, will make a difference for the almost 131,000 commuters passing through this station daily. I, along with the riders of the and PATH trains, am grateful to the disability advocates who made the case for accessibility at 14 St and to the MTA for heeding their call. I look forward to supporting future MTA capital plans that continue to enhance accessibility at subway stations throughout our city.”
“This is not only an investment in the future of New York City that's going to serve generations to come, it's also correcting the mistakes of the past with dozens and dozens of subway stations being made elevator accessible,” said Council Member Erik Bottcher. “Let this be just the beginning of our efforts to make our entire system accessible. I want to thank everyone who made this possible, particularly all the workers who made this possible.”
“As one of Manhattan’s most major transit corridors, more 14 St stations becoming accessible is a huge milestone,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “While there is much more to do to make sure people of any ability can use every single station – less than one-third are fully accessible – every accessibility improvement is a fantastic addition to our subway system.”