OANA Meeting on the closure of the Astoria Blvd Subway Station

On Jan 30th, OANA had a meeting featuring a discussion on upcoming renovations on the Astoria Blvd station on the N/W line. Sorely needed, these renovations will raise the clearance for trucks and add 2 elevators from ground to mezzanine and 2 elevators from mezzanine to platform. (Total 4 elevators) There will also be extensive renovations on the platform, and rails will be replaced. These will be the only elevators on any station in Astoria.

During last night’s OANA meeting it was also announced that the MTA has created a webpage to keep everyone up to date on all renovation issues on the N/W line in Astoria.

However, there will be extensive inconvenience. The station will be completely closed for 9 months (Until December 2019), and for 20 weekends during this period Auto and Bike traffic will have to be rerouted because of closure of 31st st under the station. (Dates to be determined). This is already a route with tremendous traffic issues. So we urge everyone that uses this route to develop alternatives, perhaps 30th or 24th avenues. As soon as we are notified of the dates of these street closures, we will reach out.

There was also a significant media presence on this cold night, and we were featured that evening on the PIX11 evening news!

There will be a public hearing on elevators and accessibility. Here’s the flyer for the accessibility event next Wednesday, Feb 6th: This is a chance to be heard on how and when accessibility is provided.

Following is notice of all work MTA-NYCT has confirmed on the Astoria line for the next six months. Weekends listed are only for modified train service (either express northbound for track work or full closure for stations work with a shuttle bus).

Astoria Blvd station will completely close in March for nine months. MTA will follow up when the exact date of the closure is determined.

The weekends listed below are only for modified train service (either express northbound for track work or full closure for stations work with a shuttle bus).

MTA New York City Transit will be performing necessary track work on the N/W line during the following dates:

Weekdays between February 4 and April 19, 9:45AM-3:30 PM

(excluding Presidents Day, February 18)

March 9-10, 3:45AM Saturday-10:00PM Sunday

March 30-April 1, 3:45AM Saturday-10:00PM Sunday

• During this work northbound N trains will run express from Queensboro Plaza to Astoria Blvd. W Trains will run along the Q line to 96 St.

• Elevated track work is particularly subject to weather-related cancelations so check the MyMTA app or Service Status on infofor updates on daily work

•  

MTA New York City Transit will be performing necessary station work on the N/W line during the following dates:

February 16-17, 3:45AM Saturday-10:00PM Sunday

February 23-24, 3:45AM Saturday-10:00PM Sunday

March 16-18, 3:45AM Saturday-10:00PM Sunday

March 23-24*

April 6-7*

April 13-14*

June 15-16*

June 22-23*

• During these weekends, there will be no N/W train service between Queensboro Plaza and Ditmars Blvd.Free shuttle buses provide alternate service, making all N train stops. 

*Exact time of work to be determined

Total renovations are expected to take approximately 27 months.

Dates are subject to change. The MTA will keep us updated on further upcoming work.

Presenters from the MTA-New York City Transit, included Vikas Wagh,, Astoria Blvd Project Manager, Benny Wood, Astoria Blvd Construction Manager and Howard Levine, Government and Community Relations for the MTA. If you check the meeting photo gallery below, you will see images of the Presenters and their Power-point Presentation.

We also have a link to the audio.

With these tools, you can be a virtual attendee of the meeting. if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at info@oana-ny.org, and we will forward to the MTA. We also want to thank all those who braved the frigid temperatures to make this possible, and give a shout out to the Family Church, for being such gracious hosts.”

While the inconvenience will be great, OANA endorses these renovations. Accessibility, clearance, track conditions, and general maintenance must be upgraded immediately. We must leave the beginning of the 20^th century, and enter the 21^st. And we also urge that digital signals be installed as soon as possible, so we can optimize the use of existing track to alleviate crowded conditions.