MTA reopens Bay Ridge Avenue station after six-month renovation project

The Bay Ridge Avenue station along the R line has reopened to the public after undergoing a six-month long renovation process that introduced a series of upgrades into the station.

As part of a $72 million revamp project that will enhance 30 subway stations, the Bay Ridge Avenue station was one of the first three stations to receive its makeover and is now equipped with new platform edges, granite floors, LED lighting, new benches, station artwork, electronic charging stations, and much more. Rather than complete the work during off-hours, the MTA opted for a total shut down of the station in both directions to expedite completion.

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota was joined by a host of local elected officials to celebrate the reopening of the station with an honorary ribbon cutting ceremony held on Friday, October 13. “The work that we’ve done here was to bring it into the 21st Century,” said Lhota during the ceremony.

While many residents were excited to have their station reopened and to see the improvements, there was some disappointment, primarily from residents with physical disabilities.

“If you’re completely redoing a station, keep in mind the people who need to use it, not just the cosmetic improvements,” resident Mahalah King-Slutzky, who uses a wheelchair, told the New York Daily News. While the upgrades are nice, she says, elevators would have been even nicer to resolve the station’s wheelchair accessibility problem.

Nearby stations that are also being revamped include the Prospect Avenue and the 53rd Street stations. The R line’s 59th Street, 77th Street, 86th Street, and Bay Ridge-95th Street stations are also being redesigned and will receive elevators to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Renovations for all stations in the project are expected to be complete some time in 2020.

• Riders laud reopening of Brooklyn station after major revamp – but it still lacks elevators [NY Daily News]
• MTA's $72M subway renovations will begin with three Brooklyn stations [Curbed]