MTA Installs 3 ADA Elevators At 71 Ave
ADA riders in Forest Hills have great news as 3 new elevators have been installed at the 71 Ave-Forest Hills station in Queens. Here is more:
MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to mark the completion of a vital project that now allows customers in Queens to use three new ADA-accessible elevators to reach the E F M R Forest Hills-71st Av station from the street level to both northbound and southbound platforms. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) also installed ADA boarding areas with tactile warning strips and signage, and reconstructed platform edges to comply with all ADA requirements.
One elevator provides ADA access from the street at the intersection of Queens Boulevard’s south service road and 70th Road, and connects to the station’s mezzanine. The other two elevators connect the mezzanine with the northbound and southbound platforms for the E F M R local and express tracks.
“Today’s ribbon-cutting marks our continuing commitment to make the system accessible to customers with limited mobility,” Bianco said. “This station was a priority for us given its high ridership and key transfer point for customers along the Queens Boulevard Line.”
The Forest Hills-71 Av station, which is the fifth busiest out of 78 stations in Queens, serves more than 27,000 weekday customers. The three elevators and installation of other ADA-compliant work were part of a $24.7 million project. In addition, NYC Transit is in the process of modernizing and improving the reliability of the Union Turnpike, 71st Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights Interlockings on the Queens Boulevard Line. This $310.7 million project is necessary for the planned implementation of Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) on the Queens Boulevard Line.
“I am happy to be here today to celebrate the opening of these elevators at the Forest Hills-71 Avenue station. New Yorkers have always been very proud of our public transit system, and we must always be making improvements to extend access for the disabled, the elderly and parents with young children. Congratulations to the MTA on this successful project, and I look forward to our continued partnership to constantly update and improve our transit system,” said State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky.
“The day of the long-awaited completion of the Forest Hills-71 Avenue subway elevators has finally arrived. I welcome this day and look forward to a time when the entire subway system will be handicap accessible,” said City Council member Karen Koslowitz, whose district includes Forest Hills.
The completion of this ADA-compliance project brings the number of accessible stations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to 12 in Queens and 81 overall in the New York City Transit system. Another ADA project has begun at the Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd station on the A line and is scheduled for completion in 2016.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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