FOLLOWING SCHUMER PUSH, FEDS APPROVE $15M GRANT FOR ELEVATOR PROJECTS AT BROADWAY JUNCTION SUBWAY STATION SO THOSE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE MORE ACCESS TO MASS TRANSIT; SCHUMER, JEFFRIES REVEAL $7.5 BILLION INCLUDED IN BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL FOR RAISE GRANTS TO SUPPORT MORE PROJECTS LIKE BROADWAY JUNCTION ACROSS NEW YORK

For Years, Advocates For The Rights Of People With Disabilities Have Been Taking Steps To Advance Elevator Access At Subway Stations Like Broadway Junction

Schumer, Who Has Been A Longtime Advocate For A Variety Of ADA-Backed Causes, Pushed Feds, In Personal Call To Transpo Sec. Buttigieg, To Act On Broadway Junction Elevator Project & Other RAISE Grants For NY

 Schumer, Jeffries: Elevator Install At Broadway Junction Will Make The Subway More Accessible For Riding Public, Especially For People With Disabilities; More Projects Like This One Are Possible With Billions For RAISE Grants In BIF

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries announced that a federal RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) grant was awarded to the MTA for a series of projects that will make the Broadway Junction subway station in Brooklyn fully ADA accessible. The projects include installing seven new ADA compliant elevators, elevator machine rooms, new stairs, platform modifications, ADA compliant signage and an ADA compliant ramp. Schumer said he pushed the Department of Transportation, in a personal call to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, to fund the elevator projects grant at the Broadway Junction subway stops so those with disabilities will have the access and accommodations they deserve. Schumer said that New York’s disabled community has long fought for more access, and that these elevator projects needed to be funded ASAP. Schumer and Jeffries revealed that there is an additional $7.5 billion for RAISE grants included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was just signed into law. They made the case for using RAISE grants to continue to update the city’s public transit system with ADA accessible projects.

“I’m glad the feds heeded my call to approve MTA’s grant application for a series of elevator projects at Broadway Junction subway stops. Projects like these are key to modernizing the system and making the subway more accessible for the riding public, including New York’s disabled community, which has long suffered from poor access to our region’s mass transit system,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “I worked hard to secure billions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill for RAISE grants so New York transit agencies can take on more projects like this one to help keep New Yorkers moving and keep our economy going strong. Now, with the RAISE grant approved, I urge the MTA to move forward with these much-needed accessibility installations with all due speed.”

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act delivers real and transformational change to New York,” said Rep. Jeffries. “This bill provides the largest single federal investment in infrastructure in the history of the Republic and will help make our mass transit systems accessible to every single American, including right here in New York City. I applaud and thank Senator Schumer for his longtime advocacy to install new elevators at Broadway Junction so those with disabilities will have the access and accommodations they deserve. With the transformational funding in the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Act, Democrats will continue to deliver For the People.”

“While the Broadway Junction subway station serves more than 100,000 riders every day, far too many of New York’s public transit stations remain inaccessible to people with disabilities,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “The $15 million dollar grant to build new accessible elevators at Broadway Junction station is just the start in making MTA stations more accessible to the disability community, providing them with opportunities that were otherwise obstructed. And with more federal funding on the way because of the bipartisan infrastructure package, similar projects like this will move forward around the city.”

“Despite its generous size and multiple train lines, the Broadway Junction subway station does not have any elevators and remains completely inaccessible to many New Yorkers who rely on public transit. As one of the largest elevated stations in our city, inclusive upgrades to Broadway Junction are urgent. The new investment in infrastructure that Senator Schumer and our congressional representatives fought to bring to our communities will finally make Broadway Junction an accessible and ADA-compliant station. This is a victory for disability rights and for all of us who live and work in the neighborhoods surrounding Broadway Junction,” said NYS Senator Julia Salazar.

“For years we have been fighting to revitalize Broadway Junction and bring true accessibility justice to our mass transit system. Thanks to the efforts of Senator Schumer and Representative Jeffries, we will finally see these investments in equity come to this critical hub in our borough. This is a real win for our neighbors with disabilities and our seniors, as well as the greater economic development of this community. We cannot and will not rest until every corner of New York City is safe and accessible for every one of us,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“Making critical safety and accessibility upgrades at Broadway Junction station will advance equity and accessibility for all New Yorkers,” Schumer added. “In tandem with recently secured wins from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that I helped negotiate, these projects will drive the local economy forward, create opportunities for good paying jobs, and increase access to critical services. I'm proud that Secretary Buttigieg agrees with my calls to fund these important investments for New York.”

The MTA was awarded a $15 million federal RAISE grant for its proposed project at Broadway Junction Station Complex in Brooklyn, New York, which provides service to the A, C, J, Z and L trains. The projects will make the subway station fully ADA-accessible and improve circulation throughout the station complex. This RAISE grant will fund construction activities for the installation of seven new ADA compliant elevators, elevator machine rooms, new stairs, platform modifications, ADA compliant signage and an ADA compliant ramp. Schumer explained that there is an additional $7.5 billion, $1.5 billion each year for the next five years, for federal RAISE grants included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill he negotiated, which will allow for more projects like those at Broadway Junction.

Schumer explained that improvements to create a more connected station, usable by all customers, are urgently needed. Originally opened in 1885 for what is now the Jamaica Line J & Z trains, service to the Canarsie Line L train was added in 1906 and the Canarsie Line platforms were built in 1928. The Fulton Street Line A and C trains expanded and combined with the Jamaica Line and Canarsie Line in 1948. Pre-pandemic, it served an average daily ridership of 100,055 passengers, making it the 3rd busiest station Brooklyn and serves as a major hub for connecting bus and commuter rail services. However, subway riders needing an ADA accessible station or wish to transfer within the station complex are forced to travel additional distances (all over one mile) and lengthier travel times (an average of 17 minutes, not including wait times for vehicles) to find the nearest accessible stations.

Not only will this project provide equal access to a critical subway transfer point, but it will also support the neighborhood’s efforts to drive new, much needed investment in this community. Economic development, workforce development and neighborhood connectivity planning activities are on-going by the NYC Dept. of City Planning. Broadway Junction is adjacent to the East New York Industrial Business Zone and the 4,000 jobs located there. The station complex is located in an Qualified Opportunity Zone and ready for investment. Improvements to this station will only bolster those activities and support community efforts to attract people and businesses to Brooklyn.

Senator Schumer penned a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of the MTA’s RAISE grant application for their Broadway Junction Complex project proposal. Schumer also personally advocated with Secretary Buttigieg to fund RAISE grant proposals in New York.

In March, Schumer stood with disability advocates and elevated a plan to modernize and upgrade the 14th Street subway stops with technology that expands mass transit access to more New Yorkers, particularly those with disabilities. The MTA’s application for FTA funding for a series of elevator projects in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood was approved following his push.

Schumer and Jeffries were joined by NYS Senators Roxanne Persaud and Jabari Brisport, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, Councilwoman-elect Sandy Nurse, and local advocates including Joe Rappaport, Executive Director of Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled; Michael J. Schweinsburg, President of the 504 Democratic Club; Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York; Elevator Action group of the Rise and Resist Coalition; Riders Alliance.

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