The Bronx has the highest number of residents living with disabilities in the city, but also the lowest amount of ADA-compliant MTA stations, an accessibility gap that MTA officials have been making steady progress on over the past few years.
The Bronx’s 170 Street Station, which carries the 4 train line, received some much-needed ADA-compliant upgrades, including a street-to-platform elevator and new cosmetic improvements, MTA officials and Bronx elected leaders unveiled on Tuesday.
The 170 Street Station is the 14th station to be upgraded to ADA compliance in the last 22 months after MTA’s most recent figures found that less than 28% of MTA stations are ADA-accessible citywide. The Bronx has 70 MTA stations, but roughly just 20%, have full-ADA accessibility.
“Making this station accessible sends a great message that aligns with the vision of Mayor (Eric) Adams, when he came to give more attention to underserved communities,” said city Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, a former member of the City Council. “The Bronx, even though it’s one of the smallest boroughs, is one of those (regions) that have the highest numbers of New Yorkers with disabilities.”
Last year, the Bedford Park and Gun Hill stations received ADA-compliant platform installments, increasing accessibility for a borough that has the highest-share of disabled residents in NYC at roughly 13%, according to the latest census and county data.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, a former city councilwoman of the Mt. Eden area where the station is sited, saw the project from start to finish and lauded the needed upgrades for nearby Bronxites who rely on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line.
“These are not the most sexiest projects but I tell you, I get excited about elevators and I get excited about working elevators that bring so much to a community such as this,” said Gibson at a Tuesday press conference unveiling the upgrades. “I talked to all of the workers on the ground, and we were able to work with them to make sure that this project was completed on time and on budget and you don’t often hear that when you talk about government.”
More Bronx stations are expected to see ADA-compliant upgrades, including the Van Cortlandt Park-242 Street, Tremont Avenue, Parkchester, East 149 Street, Brook Avenue and Mosholu Parkway stations, according to the MTA’s $54.8 billion 2020-2024 Capital Plan.
Below are the list of stations that currently meet ADA compliance, according to the MTA:
- 3 Av-149 Street
- 161 Street-Yankee Stadium
- 170 Street
- 231 Street
- 233 Street
- Bedford Park Boulevard
- E 180 Street
- Fordham Road
- Gun Hill Rd-Dyre Avenue
- Gun Hill Rd-White Plains Road line
- Hunts Point Avenue
- Kingsbridge Road
- Pelham Bay Park
- Pelham Pkwy-White Plains Rd Line
- Simpson Street
Reach Robbie Sequeira at rsequeira@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4599. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes.
