ASTORIA – Council Member Costa Constantinides, District 22, issued on December 19 the following statement on the reopening of the Astoria Boulevard N/W station last night, following a nine-month renovation:

“Last night, trains officially began to stop at Astoria Boulevard again. This has been a long few months for a lot of us who use this station, but I’m glad to see the authority kept to its word on finishing this December. Our community will continue to hold them accountable, however, to ensure the elevators are installed on time. Astoria has been an accessibility desert for too long, and we won’t stop fighting until every station in western Queens can be used by everyone.”

Background:

• MTA closed the Astoria Blvd station in spring 2019 as part of ongoing renovations along the N/W line in Astoria
• The original timeline for the project still expects the station’s four new elevators to be installed in 2020
• Constantinides has long called on the MTA to install elevators at every station along the line; the authority announced plans to build them at some stations in the coming years, after losing a lawsuit charging the MTA was not ADA-compliant.

Council Member Costa Constantinides represents the New York City Council’s 22nd District, which includes his native Astoria along with parts of Woodside, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. He serves as the chair of the City Council’s Environmental Protection Committee and sits on three additional committees: Sanitation, Resiliency, and Technology. For more information, visit council.nyc.gov/costa.