{"id":298,"date":"2024-12-05T16:15:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T17:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durkins.net\/?p=298"},"modified":"2025-01-08T17:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T17:33:44","slug":"infrastructure-outlook-the-future-of-new-york-public-transit-hinges-on-accessibility-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durkins.net\/index.php\/2024\/12\/05\/infrastructure-outlook-the-future-of-new-york-public-transit-hinges-on-accessibility-upgrades\/","title":{"rendered":"Infrastructure Outlook: The Future of New York Public Transit Hinges on Accessibility Upgrades"},"content":{"rendered":"

Navigating New York City\u2019s public transit system can be a daunting challenge for anyone.<\/span> Narrow staircases, crowded platforms, tight squeezes, scarce seating, confusing signage, train delays, bus delays\u2014all of it exhausts even the most intrepid commuters.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For the 13 percent of New York City residents who live with a disability, getting from point A to point B in the five boroughs isn\u2019t merely tiring; it\u2019s often a nonstarter. Stations lacking an elevator or ramp are no-go zones for wheelchair users, and they make commuting dangerous for seniors, people with baby strollers and anyone dealing with a temporary injury.<\/p>\n

Goals to Meet<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is dedicated to making 95 percent of its subway stations accessible by 2055, in line with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This effort will ensure that all riders, including those with various disabilities, can navigate the stations without needing to use stairs.<\/p>\n

Reaching that goal will require the continued installation of elevators at more subway stations throughout the city. Only a handful of the city\u2019s 472 subway stations were built after the ADA\u2019s 1990 passage, which mandated elevator installations in transit stations.<\/p>\n

There are three main challenges to installing elevators in a crowded subway system:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The first challenge is finding space in and around the station where the elevator shafts can be constructed. This is no easy task in a city as densely populated as New York, where buildings often sit right on top of stations and where sidewalks aren\u2019t always feasible locations for elevators.<\/p>\n

2. Subsurface conditions present another hurdle. The infrastructure lying beneath the city\u2019s roadways has swelled since the first New York subway stations were installed in 1904. Electrical lines, sewage lines and water systems must be diverted around the elevator shaft, and that\u2019s just accounting for what\u2019s on the utility map. Workers also must contend with unmapped infrastructure built up during hundreds of years, adding considerable time and research to the planning and excavation process.<\/p>\n

3. The third challenge is structure. How do we add elevators to a station in a way that doesn\u2019t compromise safety and convenience for commuters? Installing elevators also means installing walkways, mechanical rooms and other supporting infrastructure in stations that operate 24\/7.<\/p>\n

The modernized steel-and-glass elevator cars being installed offer numerous advantages over previous models. Notable features include wider openings, grab bars, braille and tactile buttons, placement of help and emergency buttons at lower wall locations, and automated door controls.<\/p>\n

Not Just About Elevators<\/strong><\/p>\n

As construction contractors engaged in ADA-compliance renovations, one of our primary objectives has been to create functional spaces that provide ample room for mobility-challenged passengers to safely navigate, board and exit trains.<\/p>\n

The NYC subway system was designed during a time when population density was a fraction of what it is today, the average person had a slighter build, and the needs of disabled or mobility-restricted travelers weren\u2019t accounted for in the design and planning stages.<\/p>\n

The most-typical upgrades include installation of handrails, ramps and widened stairways. This allows for increased maneuverability, especially in conjunction with the use of mobility devices and service animals.<\/p>\n

These aren\u2019t simple fixes. Widening a platform can involve the replacement of hundreds of linear feet of platform edge concrete, rubbing board and tactile edging. Finishing touches can include thousands of square feet of granite tile being installed along the platform edges and at the raised ADA areas.<\/p>\n

These projects also can include the installation of ADA-compliant bathrooms for increased convenience; LED lighting and CCTV cameras for enhanced safety; and upgraded \u201cHelp Points\u201d that allow audio and visually impaired commuters access to vital station and route information, in addition to their main function of providing emergency contact with a live New York City Transit Authority operator.<\/p>\n

The importance of these enhancements can\u2019t be understated. New York\u2019s 65-and-older population grew by more than 800,000 from 2011 to 2021, according to a 2023 report from the Center for an Urban Future. With that demographic trend expected to accelerate in the coming years, it\u2019s urgent that we address accessibility and mobility via the subway system now.<\/p>\n

As we celebrate the 34th anniversary of the ADA\u2019s momentous passage, New York City must stand up for everyone\u2019s fundamental right to move around the city without undue burden or fear of injury. The only path to a more-inclusive future runs through accessibility infrastructure development at our subway stations.<\/p>\n

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About John Culkin<\/a><\/h3>\n

John Culkin is vice president for Forte Construction Corp., a New York-based union contractor that has successfully completed numerous ADA projects within the New York transit system and has installed more than 71 elevators to date; email: jculkin@fortecc.com.<\/p>\n

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