MTA leaders and several Bronx elected officials enjoyed on Sept. 3 a ceremonial first elevator ride at the 4 train station at Mosholu Parkway, which is now ADA accessible.
The station, which borders the Norwood and Bedford Park neighborhoods and serves more than 4,000 daily customers, previously had no elevators, but now has two. After years of community activism, the MTA committed to the project under the 2021-2025 capital plan and finished the work on time and under budget, according to MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.
The outdoor press conference included Jamie Torres-Springer, MTA president of construction and development, and Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo, along with Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Council Member Eric Dinowitz, State Senators Gustavo Rivera and Nathalia Fernandez, and Assembly Members John Zaccaro and Jeffrey Dinowitz. Several contractors who worked on the project also attended.
Lieber said the MTA is completing projects like the Mosholu elevators “five times faster than the MTAs of the past.”
“Every New Yorker deserves to be able to use our great transit system,” he said.
Lieber said using public transit costs only 15% as much as owning a car in the city, and modernizing the system is critical to keeping people riding, especially low-income people, people with disabilities, seniors and families. “We are part of the affordability solution,” he said.
Despite reports of a terrible summer for MTA service — with 138 “major incidents” in June and July that caused delays on 50 or more trains, and a slew of smaller delays — Lieber said it was actually “one of the best summers in MTA history” when the month of August is counted.
“We’re gonna continue to show people that we are delivering great service, and I’ll put it up against any MTA of the past, every day, all day,” he said.
Torres-Springer said the Mosholu station was the MTA’s fifth station made newly accessible this year and outlined other improvements, including upgrades to the ADA platform boarding area, stairwell additions and renovations, expanded mezzanine, a new OMNY machine, and new turnstiles and gates.
The project was seven years in the making, and several current elected officials began advocating for the accessible station from different roles than they now hold, along with community board members, Tracey Towers residents and other activists.
Fernandez praised the MTA for hearing the community, calling the project “another example of the city paying attention to the concerns and needs of constituents and delivering in a timely and realistic manner.”
Arroyo said the new elevators will make life easier for New Yorkers and tourists alike, including not just those with disabilities but parents with strollers, people lugging shopping bags and anyone else who could benefit from an easier ride.
Six other Bronx accessibility projects at critical transit hubs are in progress now, he said. “We’re continuing to spread the message of an inclusive MTA.”
Zaccaro said the completed work will bring dignity and ease to all. “For years, we’ve recognized that accessibility is not just a feature, it’s a fundamental right,” he said.
The station at Mosholu Parkway is now the 19th accessible station in the Bronx, and an additional 60 stations across the city are set to be made accessible in the 2025-2029 $55 billion capital plan.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
