MTA OK’s Closing J and Z Subway Stairwells off Wall Street
The MTA decided Wednesday to approve the New York Stock Exchange’s proposal to rebuild over the closed-off subway stairwells in front of its building.
“It’s been closed since 2002 at the recommendation of the NYPD as a part of the security perimeter of the Stock Exchange,” Board Member Sarah Feinberg said at the meeting. With no discussion, the board quickly and unanimously voted to approve it.
The two stairways have for years been blocked off with makeshift blockades of orange cones, chains, “Entrance Closed” signs and steel barricades. Now, the NYSE is collaborating with the Alliance for Downtown New York to devise a beautification design for the area, including the removal of the stairwells.
The plan has been in the planning stages since 2015, when the Alliance gathered members from the Police Department, NYSE and other community leaders to determine what improvements needed to be made.
“It is an eyesore on the community, and it detracts from what should be a centerpiece public space in New York City that currently attracts millions of millions of visitors every year,” said Joshua Nachowitz, senior vice president of Research and Economic Development at the Alliance for Downtown New York, at the July 22 NYCT and Bus Committee meeting.”
Neither stairwell is critical for passenger flow, according to the MTA. An additional stairwell across the street offers entrance to the same J and Z lines.
Construction is expected to begin this summer. Once completed, the sidewalk will cover where the stairs were. Eventually, as the beautification project takes off, other changes will be made to the area: flattened curbs, increased lighting, custom gateways, more sidewalk space, designated delivery truck centers and more pedestrian seating.
“The streets and sidewalks around the stock exchange are busy and have been in need of a good improvement plan for some time,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer stated in the project’s May 2018 announcement.
The NYSE is expected to coverthe construction costs, leaving the MTA with a “nominal reduction in cost as the entrance stairs will not require maintenance,” according to the board meeting’s agenda packet. NYSE spokespeople were not available for comment on the cost.
The MTA’s report notes that no one sent a statement opposing the closures since a public hearing in April 2017. At Wednesday’s meeting, only one person spoke on the closures: Kevin Zheng, a Queens resident who refers to himself as an advocate for commuters. He sought a free transfer between the 4 and 5 trains and the J and Z trains. His concern was left unanswered.
The design for the area was led by WXY Architecture + Urban Design and was supported by Sam Schwartz Engineering, SCAPE and City Activators.
