Grasmere station renovations to be completed in August, says MTA

[Union Tpke]

Grasmere station renovations to be completed in August, says MTA

 

 

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- This April marks two years of delays to the opening of the the Staten Island Railway's renovated Grasmere station.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority began repairs to the station in May 2012, and had originally scheduled to complete work in April of the following year. But issues with the station's staircase; inclement weather, and changing DEP regulations have pushed the project completion date back some 33 months.

The opening of the revamped station is now slated for this August, according to the MTA. When renovations are finally complete, the new station house will include an enclosed passenger waiting area with heat and air conditioning, toilets, and security cameras.

In June, the MTA told the Advance that it realized the station staircase needed to be completely replaced -- an unforeseen component. Designing and constructing the new staircase tacked more time onto the project, and the MTA pushed the opening back to November 2014 -- 19 months past the original opening date.

But then the MTA ran into additional issues with the station's new water hook-up.

"There were changes in DEP requirements for the new water connection and relocation of a Con Edison feeder," said an MTA spokesperson on Thursday.

According to the MTA, the delays have not led to any overrun of costs. The Grasmere project work is part of a larger $15 million project to repair structural components at eight locations along SIR.

During the project, the sidewalk of Clove Road has been partially closed. Commuters have been able to access the platform, which runs underneath Clove Road from a temporary staircase adjacent to the station house.

Like other elevated SIR platforms, the revamped Grasmere station will not be handicap-accessible, though there will be a ramp to the new station house. The MTA considered adding an elevator during the planning stage, but ultimately decided it wouldn't be possible.

"During the planning stages we performed a study and determined that it was infeasible based on the level of repair and scope of work for the project," said the spokesperson. "The platforms are too narrow to accommodate an elevator and stairs. We shared this information in discussions with the community."