What! A Subway Entrance On Our Street?!

Plans by the MTA to renovate the 68th St. Station on the Lexington Ave. station received an angry reception from upper East Siders, some of whom said the justification for the renovation, the American with Disabilities Act, was a "charade."

October 7, 2011, 11am PDT | Irvin Dawid

Residents of this brownstone neighborhood are clearly unhappy with Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to bring an ADA-compatible entrance to the IRT subway line, federal requirement or not.

"Upper East Siders are in a lather over plans to add subway entrances to tony East 69th Street -- with some angrily accusing the MTA of using the American with Disabilities Act as a tool to mar their historic block.

The crowd booed like soccer hooligans after the MTA unveiled new plans tonight to renovate the East 68th Street station on the Lexington Avenue line.

Currently that block has no subway entrance -- and locals want to keep it that way, saying more egresses would increase noise and possibly lead to more crime on their historic block."

The article did not disclose if the neighborhood is part of an historic district and how the ADA would apply to such a district.

Thanks to Streetsblog New York City

Full Story:

UES residents fume over proposed renovations to 68th Street station

Published on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 in New York Post