Home MTA Construction $50 million on one entrace is never a good idea

$50 million on one entrace is never a good idea

by Benjamin Kabak

Stylized color pencil New Yorkers taking advantage of the new Brooklyn Bridge Park include…kayakers in the East River? Yummy. (Image courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy)

Every now and then, the MTA avoids spending insane amounts of money on ridiculously small projects. The once-planned subway entrance to the currently-planned Brooklyn Bridge Park falls into just that category.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park – a beautification and redevelopment plan for 76 acres along the Brooklyn waterfront – is set for completion sometime in the 2012 area. As part of the plan, a four-block underground tunnel connecting the park to the 2/3 stop at Clark St. was in the works. But, as The Daily News reports, the $50-million price tag is just a tad bit too much.

A new traffic study for the planned waterfront park has all but ruled out creating a new entrance to the Brooklyn Heights Clark St. station via an underground tunnel. “It’s going to be very expensive and will have engineering challenges,” said Jee Mee Kim, the project director with the traffic consulting firm Sam Schwartz PLLC…

The Clark St. subway station on the 2 and 3 lines has an entrance on the corner of Henry St. The proposal found that opening an entrance nearer the waterfront – at least four blocks away – would cost $30 million to $50 million.

Well, phew. I can think of much better uses for $50 million than one subway entrance for a pre-existing stop. How about a totally brand new subway line? Some cleaner cars? A better public address system? $50 million buys a lot of neat stuff.

And for those of you eagerly awaiting the park, new bus routes, water taxis and increased pedestrian and bike access points will make this green oasis with great views of Manhattan easily accessible when it finally opens in five or six years.

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