Work on major upgrades to the Flushing-Main Street LIRR station will finally begin in the spring season of 2016, according to MTA officials.
Sources with the MTA indicated that the agency aims to award a construction contract in January and will probably begin the renovation in March.
As part of the project—which will cost $16.5 million—an elevator will be installed on both the eastbound and the westbound platforms, along with elevator machine rooms and entry vestibules.
The station’s electrical services will also be fixed, including the replacement of platform lighting, as well as new staircases and platform railings.
Former Borough President Claire Shulman was glad to see the project moving toward fruition.
“It is a marvelous improvement in downtown Flushing, and will relieve the No. 7 train to a great degree,” Shulman said.
Shulman currently serves as the president and CEO of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation, and the group will be working with the Department of Transportation to perform community outreach to inform the general public about the construction and provide information to commuters and local vendors about how they could be affected.
The station upgrades were originally conceived as part of a massive overhaul project called the Flushing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plan introduced by the LDC. The plan ultimately aims to improve public transit options while increasing the availability of affordable housing around mass transit areas.
