MTA to reopen long-closed stretch of Nostrand Avenue subway station
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The MTA announced Thursday it is beginning construction to reopen a long-closed stretch of the Nostrand Avenue A/C subway station in Brooklyn by the end of the year, including new entrances on Bedford Avenue.
Officials say the entrances will provide the station with a direct connection to the northbound B44 Select Bus Service, reduce crowding as trains depart from the station, provide a free in-station transfer between the northbound and southbound platforms, and better connect the station with destinations west of Arlington Place.
The entrances, at the northeast corner and southeast corner of Bedford Avenue and Fulton Street, are more than 1,000 feet to the west of the currently open entrances at the corners of Fulton Street and Nostrand Avenue, or nearly a quarter mile.
Inside the station, workers will scrape and repaint areas of the station that have been closed to the public for more than 30 years. They will repair and replace tile, rehabilitate stairways, and install lighting and turnstiles.
On the sidewalk level, workers will install sidewalk entrances in accordance with New York City Transit design standards.
Additionally, the announcement comes as the MTA is undertaking the unprecedented 2020-2024 capital program that is making 70 subway stations accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including Nostrand Avenue.
"Reopening these entrances will increase the capacity of a station where we've seen ridership grow by 15 percent in the past decade," said Sally Librera, Senior Vice President of Subways for MTA New York City Transit. "We are pleased to work with our partners in the legislature - Assembly Member Tremaine S. Wright and Senator Velmanette Montgomery - who have made it possible for us to reopen this entrance and bring so many benefits to our customers. This is the latest in a series of long-closed entrances that we have recently been able to reopen."
The Nostrand Avenue A/C station is the 79th busiest station in the subway system, with turnstiles recording approximately 17,500 customers entering each weekday. Average weekday ridership at this station has grown about 15% over the past decade.
The entrance was closed more than 30 years ago during a period of concerns about crime.
The project is expected to cost $2 million.
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