After a 17-month outage, two MTA elevators at Third Avenue-149th Street, servicing the 2 and 5 trains, are now back in service, the MTA announced May 1.
Locals are “really excited” for the return of service at the bustling intersection known as The Hub, which sees some of the heaviest foot traffic in the city at over 200,000 visitors per day, according to Pedro Suarez, executive director of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District (BID).
The extensive project involved replacing and upgrading the old elevator cabs, electrical and mechanical equipment and operating systems for a smoother, more reliable ride. Remote monitoring equipment was also upgraded to ensure a faster response in the event of a problem, said the agency in a statement.
“Bronx subway riders deserve modern and reliable accessibility infrastructure,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “We’re proud to deliver better access to our system for more than 10,000 daily riders at this station, in the south Bronx and across the borough.”
Despite the progress, Suarez said the new construction has prompted safety and sanitation concerns stemming from ongoing issues of substance abuse in The Hub.
U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres has referred to the area as an “open-air drug market” where syringes and trash litter the ground and people are frequently seen using and dealing drugs and even overdosing in plain view.
To protect both people and the new construction, Suarez said the MTA should station an employee to operate the elevators during peak times and at night. Someone could easily overdose onboard or engage in behaviors that make riders feel unsafe, he said, adding, “I’m just trying to be proactive, I’m not saying that these things have happened.”
Trash dumping is another concern in The Hub and elsewhere. “Because the construction took so long, the area became kind of a dump site for trash,” said Suarez.
He said he saw a dozen bags of trash discarded near the elevators just that morning and is already coordinating with the MTA and DSNY on signage or other efforts to keep the site clean. “We now need to focus on changing behaviors.”
Despite the potential for problems, residents, business owners and shoppers are happy to have the new elevators after the outages that likely forced some to avoid the area for a long time, Suarez said.
“I think overall, everyone’s excited about access to the elevator,” he said. “We just want to make sure that that amenity, you know, works properly for the community.”
This story was updated at 5:01 p.m. to include information from the MTA regarding the length of the outage.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
