Three New Elevators Open at DeKalb Avenue Station Ahead of Schedule

Three new elevators are now in service at DeKalb Avenue Station, delivered one month ahead of schedule under the 37 Elevators Project. Installed by the Forte–Gramercy Joint Venture in collaboration with the MTA, Lead Designer Stantec, and the Naik–STV JV PMC team, the elevators serve the B, Q, and R lines, marking a major accessibility achievement at a busy Downtown Brooklyn transit hub.

With EL 370, EL 371, and EL 372 now commissioned, the project reaches an important point of progress—these installations represent the 19th, 20th, and 21st elevators brought into service, moving the 37 Elevators Project beyond its halfway mark.

The scope at DeKalb Avenue extended beyond the elevator replacements, with finishing improvements completed alongside the new installations. New ceramic floor and wall tiles were installed at elevator entrances, helping modernize and refresh these access points, while the street-level area surrounding the EL 370 enclosure was reconstructed with new sidewalk pavement.

For the platform elevators, EL 371 and EL 372, new sump pits were constructed to support drainage and long-term system operation. Their installation also required targeted leak remediation due to the elevation of the pits, while shaft layouts and equipment locations were refined to meet ADA requirements within the existing station footprint. In parallel, the elevator machine rooms were redesigned to accommodate their platform-level locations, with coordination required to address their distance from the shafts and maintain system connectivity.

Close coordination with the MTA and project partners supported steady progress from construction through commissioning, keeping work aligned and moving efficiently throughout the project. DeKalb Avenue now stands as another completed station within the 37 Elevators Project, delivering expanded accessibility through coordinated design, construction, and execution.