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MTA announces $51.5 billion capital plan with commitment to accessibility

No More Limits

MTA announces $51.5 billion capital plan with commitment to accessibility

In its new capital plan, the MTA plans to allocate a chunk of money to improving accessibility across the five boroughs. (Courtesy MTA/Flickr)

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is set to begin exercising its $51.5 billion capital plan this year—the largest budget approved in agency history. In a press release this week, the MTA announced it’s now looking for qualified design-build firms to work on accessibility projects across 23 subway stations in the city.

“Accessibility is a top priority fo the MTA,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye in the statement, “and we are committed to completing these accessibility projects as quickly as possible.”

Equitable travel—via public transit in particular—has long been a big issue throughout the five boroughs. According to a February analysis by The New York Times, there are over half a million residents who have limited mobility, two-thirds of which don’t live near an accessible subway station. What’s more, only 25 percent of New York’s 472 stations have elevators.

Image of woman in wheelchair waving inside subway station elevator
Several new elevators will be installed in at least 23 stations. (Courtesy MTA/Flickr)

The accessibility push is part of the MTA’s historic 2020-2024 Capital Plan in which it will invest billions of dollars into New York City public transit, as well as regional subways, buses, commuter rail systems, bridges, and tunnels. Up to $40 billion will be set aside strictly for improving New York’s subway and bus systems with $5.2 billion of that allocated for accessibility projects. A total of 70 subway stations have been identified for work overall in the MTA’s capital plan.

The MTA promises to install two-to-three new elevators at each of the 23 stations listed in the RFQ and make other improvements aligned with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For example, it will reconstruct platform edges or ADA boarding areas in the hopes of making passengers feel safer. Utility, station communication, and lighting upgrades may occur as well depending on existing conditions at the station.

The news comes less than a year later after the MTA announced Foye, longtime head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as its new leader. This past December, the agency moved 430 employees to its new Construction and Development department in an effort to consolidate all construction personnel. The change, along with other organizational moves, was mandated by the New York State government earlier last year in order to increase efficiency within the agency and speed up project delivery timelines.

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