Andy Byford wants to completely close the Brooklyn subway station for eight months to repair the lifts of hell

The Clark Street station in Brooklyn Heights (serving line 2/3) is an unusual station among the subway system of our city because it only accessible by elevator, but not ADA compliant. (With 168th Street, it's one of the deepest stations that relies only on elevators, according to the MTA.) To reach the Clark Street dock, runners have there is no choice but to take one of three very old elevators (followed by a flight of stairs).

The Clark Street elevators are hot, no matter the season, and they often break down; at rush hours in particular, they become the nightmare of claustrophobic people. Recently there has been many breakdowns, incidents of runners who had to open the locks, and last summer, a group was stuck in one of the lifts for an hour, waiting for the FDNY to come to the rescue. A passenger told us that during the hellish experience "many men and women [on board] "Everyone who borrows these lifts regularly experiences the fear that seizes their minds when such doors close and last year even the Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, declared that the system" was a threat to public safety ", having problems, since the elevators have not been replaced since their installation – two in 1919 and the third in 1931.

The replacement of these dilapidated elevators has long been on the MTA's to-do list, and projects are finally underway to solve the problem. On Monday night, at a forum held a few blocks from the station, the MTA addressed the issue with New York Transit Authority President Andy Byford to present three potential work plans, including their privileged plan of complete closure of the station. for eight months.

In a telephone interview Tuesday morning, Byford pointed out that a plan had not yet been finalized and that the MTA was still seeking the community's opinion: "I've introduced three options for replacement … everyone knows the job has to be done, do it. "No decision has been made on the precise methodology." However, Byford added that "we were in the forefront of presenting this that we believe to be the best option, namely a complete closure of the station for eight months ".

Once completed, the station will have more reliable elevators, but it will still not be fully accessible. Byford told us that "it's very difficult at the moment". At last night's meeting, he cited a challenge: the platform is too narrow and could not accommodate an elevator, and walking a ramp would still not be suitable for everyone.

If the stop plan of the complete station is chosen, it should be noted that the region has other means of public transport, including the 2/3 district station, located seven minutes walk. Byford also told Gothamist that he would consider a shuttle – "I certainly will not rule out for rush hours maybe."

The move would not be unprecedented; the station had previously been closed for elevator repairs in 2000. (At that time, they "replaced elevator components and repaired the engines", we are told.While the upcoming project would be a replacement for 39; lift ", replacing all. ") The NY Sun recalled this 2007 shutdown, when the elevators again ran into trouble.

The merchandise-type elevators on Clark Street were built with the remains of an aircraft carrier from World War II. [which does not fit the elevator installation timeline]according to a former city council member representing the neighborhood, Kenneth Fisher. "Finally, there was no one alive who knew how to fix them," he said in an interview. "The wind created when the trains entered the station sent metal shavings into the lifts, which were constantly breaking, and the only way to repair them was to replace them." The MTA closed the station for four months in 2000 for a $ 3.5 million elevator renovation, but has not yet managed to overhaul its defective service.

Other plans for the upcoming project, presented above, would take 22 to 24 months, with two elevators operating at peak times. One of the problems with these plans is that every time an elevator or two (which, as we know, is quite possible), trains will bypass the station anyway. Each would also cost $ 6 million more than the eight-month plan. (The MTA can not make the cost of Option 1 public for the moment due to the RFP process.)

Regardless of the plan chosen, Byford says the work will begin "by the end of the fall of next year … so we still have some time." And in the meantime, he says that the elevators are in working order – "They are less and less reliable, which is why we have to replace them." They are very old. [But] they are safe. "

The next steps, he told us, are for local elected officials to conduct a survey "to see which option of the three options suits them best". He added: "Several people have encouraged me at the very end of the session to say that our argument was compelling and compelling and that they had actually changed their minds and that they would go "option down. "So let's see what the investigation says at the end of the day."

Adams told Gothamist Tuesday that he was "happy that we were able to organize this community forum to get answers from the MTA on the repairs needed for the lifts at Clark Street Station. I've been clear that repairs need to be done quickly at this station and that the MTA timeline needs to be communicated openly and directly so that commuters and small businesses know how to plan for future construction. "

Shorter turnaround times would likely benefit local businesses located on the ground floor of Clark Street Station, which may lose customers during repairs. Byford told us, no matter what route we took, "we insisted that they could still stay open, we would have secure access to these leases and would announce that they were still open."