74th Street Station Gets Facelift

The second busiest subway station in Queens, which is in the process of getting a $130 million facelift, reopened its main entrance this week.
When finished, the No. 7s 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue stop will be a state-of-the-art facility that connects passengers to other subway lines and buses, according to Metropolitan Transit Authority officials during a walk-through of the site on Friday.
"The 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue improvement is a tremendous project for Jackson Heights and Queens in general," said MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow. "In spite of the temporary inconvenience, the Roosevelt Avenue project will bring one of the citys most modern transportation hubs to the heart of Queens. Its exactly what we should be doing."
When the upgrade is finished in November 2005, the station will connect the E, F, V, G, R and 7 trains with numerous bus lines.
The MTA said the stops renovations are about 40% complete. Straphangers can look forward to a new complex entrance building, a new bus terminal, the installation of lighting and elevators with full access for the disabled, enhanced signage, additional retail space, improved security and widened passageways.
Each year, 14 million passengers go through the station and about 42,000 a week.
The 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue stations refurbishment follows a $500,000 repair project recently completed at the Laurelton Station.
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