Subway Station Could Rise On Broadway

Upper West Siders may soon have an easier time using the crowded subway station at 96th Street and Broadway, one of the five busiest stations in the city.

The biggest change would be the relocation of the subway entrances to the Broadway median from the east and west sides of the street. A large above-ground station would be built on the median.

City and state officials are developing a plan to accommodate the station by expanding the median that separates northern and southern traffic on Broadway. The sidewalk space in the area would be reduced by nine feet. Members of Community Board 7 will vote later this year on whether to approve the $80 million project, which would make the station handicapped-accessible and easier to maneuver by reducing the number of stairs by half.

The co-chairman of the CB-7 Transportation Committee, Andrew Albert, a nonvoting member of the MTA board, said that the CB-7 committee favors the plan despite some reservations about pedestrian safety. "It's really the most-cost effective way to get handicapped accessibility to both platforms," he said.

"You shouldn't narrow sidewalks anywhere in the city," the director of the New York City Streets Renaissance Project, Matthew Roth, said. "You have a much higher number of commuters by transit than by car," he said, expressing concern that crosswalks would not be clearly marked.

Mr. Roth said he supported a station that would be in compliance with the American With Disabilities Act, but he is pushing for a narrowing of the streets rather than the sidewalks.

For some businesses, a narrower sidewalk raised concerns about a decrease in foot traffic past their stores. "Nine feet is a lot to cut," Tasha Stefano, who works in the children's clothing store Karin Alexis, said. "It will probably affect our business." The store, which Ms. Stefano said benefits from foot traffic, is just north of the proposed sidewalk narrowing area, which would cover a full nine feet only between 95th and 96th streets and vary between 94th and 97th streets.

A spokeswoman for New York City Transit, Deirdre Parker, said her agency is working with the Department of Transportation to ensure the safety of pedestrians. She noted that on 72nd Street, where the subway entrance is in the median, "people are able to cross the street and find their way down. I think that that's something that will not really be a problem."

Ms. Parker said the sidewalks "will still be 15 feet - the feeling is that it will be enough space." She noted that space would be gained because the street-side entrances above 94th Street would be relocated to the median. She said narrowing the traffic lanes was not being considered as an alternative.

Construction is slated to begin at the start of 2007. Ms. Parker said the subway station would remain open, but that there will be "some disruptions" in service.

The local City Council member, Gale Brewer, was not available to discuss the plan but provided a statement saying that "improvements to the subway station at West 96 Street and Broadway are long overdue, and I am excited by the prospect of a beautiful, clean and ADA compliant station."