MTA announces 20 subway stations will receive accessibility upgrades

NEW YORK - Twenty new subway stations across four different boroughs will soon be fully accessible to New Yorkers with disabilities.

The changes come thanks to a $5.2M investment by the MTA aimed at upgrading the city’s public transit system. 

The new stations will be part of 70 subway stations in total, all slated to undergo accessibility improvements under the MTA’s 2020-2024 capital plan.

“No rider, within 5 years, will be no more than 2 stops away from an accessible station,” said New York City Transit Authority President Andy Byford. 

Officials say the locations were carefully chosen to fill coverage gaps between current accessible stations and to help people access key transfer points to terminals and high ridership stations. 

Six of the newly-announced stations will be located in Manhattan, four in Brooklyn, five in the Bronx and five in Queens. More than 40% of the transit system will be accessible after the improvements are made. 

MTA officials say that as early as December 20, they will begin looking for contractors who can get the ball rolling on the work. The goal is to make all the city’s stations accessible by 2034.