New York City Transit to renovate Astoria Line stations

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) next week will begin renovating its 30th Avenue and 36th Avenue Astoria Line stations.

The "top-to-bottom" renovations include structural repairs, improvements to mezzanines and platforms, waterproofing, and refurbishment of existing railings and stairs, NYCT officials said in a press release.

Other improvements include better signage to help passengers navigate the stations, new security cameras and new glass barriers.

The MTA awarded a $150 million contract to Skanska and AECOM to renovate four Astoria Line Stations. The 30th Avenue and 36th Avenue stations are scheduled to be completed by spring 2018. The other two stations will close for renovations later in 2018. The four stations originally opened for service in 1917.

The work is part of NYCT's Enhanced Station Initiative (ESI), which involves renovating 33 rail stations.

"The Enhanced Station Initiative embraces new techniques and innovations that simplify the work and shorten construction time while bringing real improvements to the transit experience," said MTA Managing Director Ronnie Hakim. "We’ve received great feedback from the customers who use the redesigned ESI station in Brooklyn at 53 Steet, and we look forward to opening more of these modernized subway stations and bringing more amenities to more stations across our system."

The first of the 33 ESI stations, the 53rd Street station on the R Line opened in September.