Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit

As North America’s largest public transportation agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) is a reliable and consistent source of transportation for millions of passengers.

To improve station infrastructure accessibility and create a safer passenger experience, NYCT is implementing a comprehensive Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) station accessibility upgrade program that includes improvements to vertical transportation, stairways, and platforms.

To achieve NYCT’s goal, GFT provided architectural, engineering, and vertical transportation design services to implement accessibility upgrades at the Livonia Avenue Station on the Canarsie Line.

This $53.9 million design-build project created an accessible route between Livonia and Van Sinderen Avenues and the elevated platform.

New ADA-compliant elevators connect:

• The platforms.
• Overpass.
• Street levels (control house).

The overpass will accommodate a future connection to the adjacent Junius Station on the Interborough Rapid Transit Company’s (IRT) New Lots Line, facilitating unimpeded transfers between the Canarsie and IRT lines. In addition, two new staircases are being constructed: one from each platform up to the new overpass.

GFT prepared an early design package for utility relocation, civil work, demolition, and state-of-good-repair work so these critical tasks could proceed to construction.

Our team provided the following services:

• Architecture.
• Survey.
• Environmental.
• Geotechnical.
• Utilities, civil, and maintenance and protection of traffic.
• Structural.
• Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.
• Communications, fire alarms, and fiber optics.
• Vertical transportation.
• Lighting design
• Signal engineering.

The Livonia Avenue Station is fully accessible and compliant with 2010 ADA standards. The elevators include a two-way communication system to assist people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired in compliance with the 2020 Building Code of New York State.

The improvements contribute to a better customer experience by:

• Making the station easier to navigate.
• Improving functionality.
• Enhancing aesthetics.
• Accommodating the full spectrum of riders that comprise today’s subway system customers.

GFT was recognized as Designer of the Year by the Society of American Military Engineers New York City Post in recognition of our contributions to the MTA’s systemwide accessibility program.