BUSED IN!
BY JESSICA PARKS
The Metropolitan Transit
Authority completed a new
terminal at the Canarsie–
Rockaway Parkway station
that allows seamless transfers
between bus and subway service,
and is the only station
of its kind in eastern Brooklyn,
according to the city’s
chief transit honcho.
“The Rockaway Parkway
station is the only link between
the subway and buses
in this part of eastern Brooklyn,
which is why it’s so important
that this station be accessible
to anyone using public
transit here,” said NYC Transit
President Andy Byford in
May. “With this expansive improvement
project, we’re making
sure that whether you’re a
subway or a bus customer —
or very likely both — you will
have seamless access to every
part of the station and that you
have the amenities for a comfortable
COURIER L 16 IFE, JANUARY 10-16, 2020
and clean commute.”
The new improvements to
the 113-year-old transit hub
— which began construction
in May — allows passengers
to board the B6, B42, B82, B82
SBS and the B6 LTD buses
from inside the terminal, instead
of waiting outside in the
cold, according to the Transit
Authority.
Over the course of the seven
month construction, the
subway station remained in
service, but buses were redirected
to stop outside of the
terminal.
The Canarsie L-station —
located between Smiths Lane
and E. 98th Street — is one of
only a few street-level stations
in the city’s subway system,
making the integration of bus
stops within the station’s property
Rockaway Parkway’s new intermodal bus terminal opened to the public on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the MTA
possible, and leading the
MTA to also prioritize the improvement
of the station’s existing
accessibility features,
according to the MTA.
Along with the easier transfers,
the renovated intermodal
terminal also features accessibility
improvements to the station’s
platform edges, sidewalk
curbs and station ramps.
The completion of the bus
terminal marks the beginning
of the project’s second
phase which will close the
existing station house to conduct
a slew of improvements
including constructing a new
unisex bathroom, upgrading
the station’s agent booth with
wheelchair-height amenities
and replacing doors, windows
and roofs. Travelers will be directed
to pay their fares using
MetroCard vending machines
outside of the station until the
project’s completion slated for
the spring.
The MTA declined to comment
on the project’s cost.
Improved Rockaway Parkway
bus terminal reopens to public
after seven-month closure