Accessibility Upgrades Including Two New Elevators, State of Good Repair Work and Passenger Circulation Improvements
Upgrades Part of Larger 14 St ADA Megaproject, Which Includes $247 in Federal Funding and Will Add Nine New Elevators to Complex
New Station Artwork “Wild Things” Mosaics Unveiled
See Photos of the New Elevators and Artwork
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the completion of two new elevators providing access to the street level and uptown level at the 14 St subway station, marking another milestone in the 14 St Station Complex megaproject. Of the two new elevators, one brings customers from street-level to the mezzanine and another connects the mezzanine to the uptown platform. An elevator connecting the mezzanine to the downtown platform is expected to open later this year.
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.
“Bringing this century-old infrastructure into the 21st century isn’t easy, but the MTA is determined to make all our 700-plus stations accessible to all,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “And a huge part of the reason we’re able to deliver elevators at this station is the support of the Biden Administration, which, through USDOT, contributed $247 million towards this project.”
“Today, the 14th Street complex is more accessible than ever," said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. "Thanks to innovations like design-build and bundling, the MTA is delivering projects better, faster, and cheaper.”
“We are one step closer to making this entire 14 St Complex accessible for nearly 30,000 daily riders,” said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. “Expanding transit accessibility unlocks educational and employment potential by creating new travel opportunities and redefining quality of life for New Yorkers with access needs.”
The 14 St Station Complex also features new artwork by Fred Tomaselli entitled Wild Things, a suite of six mosaics commissioned by MTA Arts & Design, which can be found at the 14 St station at the passageway to 6 Av and the stairs to both the uptown and downtown platforms. The Brooklyn-based artist drew from his own multi-sensory bird watching experiences and presents these scenes in his signature style. With a focus on species that live year-round in New York City, temporal reality enters Tomaselli’s imagined world as he depicts a woodpecker, a cardinal, and orioles mobbing a falcon, composed in a collage-like manner. The intricate compositions are comprised of vibrant traditional smalti, 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 at 14 St-6 Av station, adds more than 680 square feet of mosaic throughout the complex.
Earlier this year, the MTA opened three new elevators providing access from the street to the 6 Av platform and the uptown platform.
“The opening of new ADA elevators at the 14 St-7 Av station brings us closer to making the complex fully accessible, a project that would not be possible without $247 million in federal funding I am proud to have fought for in Congress,” said Representative Jerrold Nadler. “Today’s announcement is another reminder of why our fight to implement congestion pricing is critical to delivering the funding necessary to making additional stations fully accessible.”
“The MTA’s announcement that another accessibility project is being implemented is welcome news," said Assembly Member Deborah Glick. "The continuing effort to ensure that all New Yorkers can utilize our exceptional mass transit system is a hallmark of each capital plan. The addition of elevators makes it possible for people with various mobility challenges to ride the rails, and also assists New Yorkers who may have children in strollers or are transporting groceries or luggage. These projects are expensive because of the complicated engineering involved and due to the discovery of unanticipated underground changes in utility lines that often occurs during the construction phase. That is why it is all the more critical that resources from the upcoming capital plan also make up for the shortfall from the pause in congestion pricing. Again, kudos to the MTA for this great addition of accessibility to our neighborhood.”
“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.”
Approximately 29,000 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.
Once completed, the 14 St Complex will have nine new elevators making it fully accessible. The complex will also have 25 new staircases and 39 renovated staircases, as well as five platform upgrades, which include new tactile warning strips and ADA boarding areas.