NEW YORK, NY –
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on April 10 announced the completion of one new elevator at the Queensboro Plaza (7), (N), and (W) subway station, giving the station accessible entrances on each side of the busy approach to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.
The project was completed through Zoning for Accessibility (ZFA), a bonus provision which allows developers to improve access to public transit in the busiest areas of the city in exchange for an increase in their building’s density.
According to a press release by the MTA, as part of the agreement at Queensboro Plaza Station, Grubb Properties, which owns 25-01 Queens Plaza North, financed and constructed the new accessible entrance on the northside of the station, furthering the MTA’s cost savings. The new entrance includes a 10-foot-wide staircase and a larger elevator cab that will accommodate more customers with strollers, carrying luggage, or using mobility devices. Grubb Properties will be responsible for maintaining the entrance and elevator. This is the first ZFA bonus project in the transit system opening to the public and the second approved by the City Planning Commission (CPC), with more on the way in the future.
“Zoning for Accessibility has delivered real results for the 97,000 riders who pass through Queensboro Plaza every day, and – best of all — at no cost to taxpayers”, said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “The MTA will continue using every available tool, every possible strategy to make the subway system accessible to all New Yorkers”.
As part of a long-term commitment to systemwide accessibility, the MTA has already announced that is investing nearly $6 billion in station accessibility in the 2020-2024 Capital Program, to make 67 stations newly ADA-accessible and modernize an additional 78 subway elevators.
Queensboro Plaza is a station with high ridership, serving approximately 97,000 riders on an average weekday. This estimate includes both customers who swipe in at this station and those who are transferring between the (7), (N) and(W) trains.
“Nearly 1 million New Yorkers live with disabilities, yet our public transit system has for far too long left them behind”, said Assembly Member Zohran K. Mamdani. “Every New Yorker deserves a universally accessible public transit system. This elevator installment brings us one step closer to making that a reality”.
