New York Construction Report staff writer
New York City Mayor Eric Adams this week announced a major public investment in the area around the Broadway Junction subway station in Brooklyn. Driving the plan is $400 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for accessibility upgrades at the Broadway Junction station complex. Also, the city has approved $95 million to improve underutilized public spaces around the subway complex; improve street safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and all road users; and create approximately one acre of new open space.
These new public realm investments alone are expected to generate over 2,300 construction jobs citywide and will add to more than 2,000 new homes, including hundreds of affordable homes, that are recently completed, in construction, permitted, or projected in the neighborhood.
“I fought to bring investments to this community when I was Brooklyn borough president, and as mayor, I am proud to say that we are getting it done,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “This $500 million public investment will create more than 2,300 construction jobs, two new public plazas, and safer streets in this community, along with more than $11 billion in economic impact for the city.
Within a 10-minute walk of the Broadway Junction station, more than 433 homes have recently been completed or are in construction, with more than 1,700 additional homes projected or permitted. Nearly all of the 433 homes are affordable to families earning less than 80 percent of area median income, and nearly 60 percent will be affordable for families earning less than 50 percent of area median income.
Anticipated housing construction will have to meet affordability requirements under Mandatory Inclusionary Housing or are currently engaging with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to provide even greater affordability.
“Broadway Junction is the heart of the MTA,” said Jamie Torres-Springer, president, construction and development, MTA. “Through accessibility upgrades and other critical projects in the area, we’re making investments that reflect that. We’re proud to partner with the city on making East New York a priority for the future.”
NYCEDC will create two new public plazas on either side of Van Sinderen Avenue and Fulton Street, creating a new gateway entrance to the Broadway Junction station with new lighting, art, vending space, seating, and plantings. The project will also include streetscape improvements with new pedestrian safety measures, bike infrastructure, signage, and street furniture on Van Sinderen Avenue between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue.
Planning and design will kick off this summer with community workshops with groundbreaking anticipated in 2027 and completion by 2030.
The MTA’s improvements includes state-of-good-repair investments, including escalator replacements, and will create a new entrance with direct access to the L train on the east side of Van Sinderen Avenue. The project is part of the more than $5 billion in funding dedicated to ADA upgrades across the subway system in the MTA’s current capital program. The MTA will award a design-build contract later this year and expects construction to take five years.
In addition, the MTA has other investments planned for Broadway Junction and East New York. Starting next year, electric buses will be located in East New York as part of phase one of the MTA’s zero-emission bus transition plan. The proposed Interborough Express, a new transit line from Brooklyn to Queens, is also slated to include a connecting station at Atlantic Avenue.
“This is an area of the city supremely well connected to transit, which is why we need to do more to improve the public experience, enhance the health and safety of the local community, and spur growth and opportunity,” said New York City Department of City Planning Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick. “These public investments are incredibly exciting and will deliver a huge lift to Broadway Junction.”
