Bed-Stuy Subway Stations To Get Accessibility Upgrades: MTA

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Bed-Stuy and Ocean Hill are about to get new subway station elevators, part of a big push by the MTA to improve accessibility across the subway network.

The MTA announced late last week that the Classon Avenue G and the Broadway Junction A/C/J/Z/L subway stations would be among the 17 stations slated to receive new accessibility updates over the next few years.

While details were sparse in the announcement, including any sort of projected timeline, the MTA said that elevators would be part of the ADA-compliant upgrades.

Bed-Stuy currently has three accessible stations: the Flushing Avenue J/M station, the Utica Avenue A/C station and the Franklin Avenue C station.

“We are determined to make the NYC Transit system fully accessible, not just for persons with disabilities, but also for seniors, for parents with children who are in strollers and travelers with luggage,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, who added that the station accessibility projects are being done at "four times the pace of previous MTA Capital Programs."

"The Classon Avenue G station is located across the street from a public housing development which is home to over 800 residents, many of whom have accessibility needs, along with surrounding community residents," said Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest in a statement. "I am thrilled that this much-needed upgrade is moving forward so that customers with disabilities, people traveling with children in strollers, seniors, and others will be able to easily access the Classon Avenue station and utilize the subway."

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said that he was pleased to see the MTA work to achieve transit equity in Brooklyn.

"I look forward to continuing to work together toward a public transit network that is inclusive of every neighborhood and every New Yorker,” he said in a release.

The stations were first listed in 2019 as part of 70 stations to receive accessibility upgrades as part of a $5.5 billion capital plan.

Many, including transit experts, advocates and good-government groups, have long criticized the MTA for failing to control what they deem out of control costs associated with elevator projects.

Out of all of the city's nearly 500 stations, about a quarter — or 126 — of all subway stations currently are considered accessible, according to the agency.

To make the network nearly fully accessible would take 33 years, according to the New York Times.