AS PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK CONSTRUCTION REPORT, Wednesday, February 5, 2025

MTA, FTA Celebrate Completion of ADA Accessibility

Upgrades at 68th St.-Hunter College Station

By Robin MacLennan - February 5, 2025

MTA CEO Janno Lieber, President of MTA Construction and Development Jamie Torres-Springer, FTA Regional Administrator Michael Culotta and MTA Chief Accessibility Office Quemuel Arroyo (center) celebrate with construction leaders and local disability adv

The brand-new station entrance was carved out of a former retail space

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority

(MTA) and the Federal Transit

Administration (FTA) have completed a

major modernization and expansion project

at the 68th St.-Hunter College Subway

Station on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

The project, which brings the century-old

station into full compliance with the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Forte Construction, in a joint venture

with Citnalta Construction Corp., led the

multiyear overhaul and completed work on

time and under budget despite the complex

nature of the renovations. The teams

worked alongside several other

contractors, including Gannet

Flemming, MFM Contracting Corp., and Mid-American Elevator, to install three

ADA-compliant elevators, improve station

accessibility, and upgrade critical

infrastructure.

The $3.3 billion investment by the FTA in ADA improvements across the MTA

network has been instrumental in completing this project, which was finished

$21 million under budget.

“The completion of this project is a testament to the hard work of our

contractors, engineers, and MTA staff,” said MTA Chairman Janno Lieber. “It

ensures that the 68th St.-Hunter College Station, one of the busiest in our

system, is now fully accessible to New Yorkers of all abilities.”

Located beneath Hunter College — the largest school in the City University of

New York system with nearly 23,000 students enrolled — the 68th St.-Hunter

College station serves more than 20,000 daily riders. The station is a vital stop

on the 6 local train line along Lexington Avenue.

The renovation included the installation of three ADA-compliant elevators,

improved lighting, way-finding signage, help points, CCTV cameras, tactile edge

strips, and ADA-raised boarding areas on each platform. The project also

involved a major utilities relocation, including the replacement of a century-old

water main and the rerouting of a complex network of pipes and cables below

the station.

Michael Culotta, Regional Administrator for FTA Region 2, joined the celebration

on behalf of former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This project

is a game-changer for the community. These upgrades transform lives and

change the way people access transit, making it more equitable and inclusive,”

said Culotta, who has personal ties to the area as a former resident. “It’s an

honor to be here today to witness this historic moment for the ADA.”

In addition to the elevators, the project doubled the number of entrances and

exits at the station, rehabilitated six stairwells, and added two new street-to-platform staircases. These upgrades increase the station’s capacity and improve

its overall flow of passengers.

Link: MTA, FTA Celebrate Completion of ADA Accessibility Upgrades at 68th St.-Hunter College Station | New York Construction Report