The Saga of a North Bronx Subway Station
The saga of a North Bronx subway station whose nearly $22 million makeover a decade ago did not include elevators finally has an end in sight — after federal prosecutors and riders with disabilities accused the MTA of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Work to Install Elevators at Middletown Road Station Set to Begin in February 2025
Transit officials announced last week that work to install elevators at the No. 6’s Middletown Road station is set to begin in February 2025 as part of ADA upgrades already underway at more than 30 stations.
A Decade-Long Battle for Accessibility
The MTA is under a court mandate to get that number to 95% by 2055, a costly and time-consuming process of adding modern elevators to stations that, in some cases, are more than a century old. The Middletown Road stop, for example, opened in 1920 and the MTA said work on the elevators there is expected to be completed by 2029.
A Bronx Commuter’s Struggle
A Bronx commuter says her back hurts her after she has to lug bags up the stairs at the Middletown Road station while an elevator is still under construction. "Retrofitting is always more expensive than considering accessibility from the beginning," Rachel Weisberg, a supervising attorney for Disability Rights Advocates, told THE CITY. "When disability and accessibility are considered from the beginning of a project, it’s going to make more sense for everybody."
The Legal Battle
The legal battle over Middletown Road grew out of the station’s October 2013 to May 2014 shutdown — when staircases, ceilings, and track structures were replaced but elevators were not added. Two New Yorkers with disabilities, the advocacy organization Disabled In Action and Bronx Independent Living Services, sued the MTA in 2016, charging that the agency failed to follow federal law that requires transportation authorities to make stations accessible to those with disabilities during renovations.
The MTA’s Efforts
The MTA is aiming to ensure that riders will be no more than two stops away from an accessible station. "Middletown Road made a lot of sense from that standpoint," said Janno Lieber, chairperson and CEO of the MTA.
Conclusion
The MTA’s latest commitments to add elevators to the subway follow a landmark court settlement approved by a federal judge last year that legally mandated the MTA to make 95% of its stations fully accessible in just over three decades. The development has put accessibility on the express track for the country’s biggest mass transit system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will the elevators at Middletown Road station be installed?
A: Work is set to begin in February 2025.
Q: How many subway stations are currently accessible?
A: Only 145, or close to 30%, of the nearly 500 subway and Staten Island Railway stations are accessible.
Q: What is the MTA’s goal for accessibility?
A: The MTA is under a court mandate to get that number to 95% by 2055.
Q: How many stations are currently in construction to become ADA-compliant?
A: There are 36 in construction.
