Briarwood station explained

Briarwood
Address:Main Street & Queens Boulevard
Queens, NY
Borough:Queens
Locale:Briarwood
Coordinates:40.7097°N -73.8196°W
Division:IND
Line:IND Queens Boulevard Line
Service:Queens east local
Platforms:2 side platforms
Tracks:4
Accessible:mf
Cross Platform:same
Structure:Underground
Former:Van Wyck Boulevard (1937–1998)
Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard (1998–2015)

The Briarwood station (formerly Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard station or Van Wyck Boulevard station) is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 84th Drive, Main Street, Queens Boulevard, and the Van Wyck Expressway, in Briarwood, Queens, bordering Kew Gardens, it is served by the F train at all times, the E train at all times except rush hours and middays, and the <F> train during rush hours in the reverse peak direction.

This station opened on April 24, 1937, as part of an extension of the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line. It has been renovated multiple times to accommodate the construction of and modifications to the Van Wyck Expressway.

History

Construction

The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first built by the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND), and was planned to stretch between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 178th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.[1] [2] The line was first proposed in 1925.[3] Construction of the line was approved by the New York City Board of Estimate on October 4, 1928.[4] Approval of the section of the Queens Boulevard Line between the intersections of 137th Street (now the Van Wyck Expressway) and Hillside Avenue was held up by a month during late 1929 because of a dispute over a spur that would run south to Rockaway Boulevard. Some property owners wanted the spur to run under Van Wyck Boulevard, while others wanted it to run under Sutphin Boulevard to the east.[5] On December 23, 1930, the contract for the construction of the section between 137th Street and 178th Street—Route 108, Section 11—was let. This section included the stations at 169th Street, Parsons Boulevard, Sutphin Boulevard, and Van Wyck Boulevard.[6] As planned, Parsons Boulevard was to be one of the Queens Boulevard Line's five express stops, as well as one of 22 total stops on the line between Seventh Avenue in Manhattan and 178th Street in Queens. Parsons Boulevard would be the only express stop built as part of Section 11.[7] The contract for this section was awarded to Triest Contracting Corporation.[8] The line was constructed using the cut-and-cover tunneling method, and to allow pedestrians to cross, temporary bridges were built over the trenches.[9]

The first section of the line opened on August 19, 1933, from the connection to the Eighth Avenue Line at 50th Street to Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.[10] Later that year, a $23 million loan was approved to finance the remainder of the line, along with other IND lines.[11] The remainder of the line was built by the Public Works Administration.[12] In summer 1933 work on this station and 169th Street were completed, far ahead of schedule.[8] In 1934 and 1935, construction of the extension to Jamaica was suspended for 15 months and was halted by strikes.[13] Construction was further delayed due to a strike in 1935, instigated by electricians opposing wages paid by the General Railway Signal Company.[14]

In August 1936, tracks were installed all the way to 178th Street, and the stations to Union Turnpike were completed. However, the stops to the east, including Van Wyck Boulevard, still needed to be tiled and did not have stairways, turnstiles and lighting installed. Two additional contracts remained to be put up for bid, both the results of last minute changes; one such contract involved moving the eastern terminal from 178th to 169th Street.[15] In addition, a new tunnel roof and new side supports had to be constructed.[16] A 3.51NaN1 extension from Roosevelt Avenue to Kew Gardens opened on December 31, 1936.[17] In March 1937, the extension to 169th Street was expected to be opened on May 1, requiring work to be finished by April 3, and fully approved and tested by April 20. As of this point, minor station work remained, including the installation of light bulbs, with the only major work left to be completed being the final 200feet of track in the 169th Street terminal.[16]

Opening

On April 9, 1937, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia announced that the operation of the $14.4 million extension to Jamaica and express service would begin on April 24.[18] [19] The extension to Hillside Avenue and 178th Street, with a terminal station at 169th Street, opened as planned on April 24, 1937.[20] [21] [22] Service was initially provided by E trains, which began making express stops from 71st–Continental Avenues to Queens Plaza during rush hours on the same date, and by EE local trains during non-rush hours. The express service operated between approximately 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.,[23] and ran every three to five minutes.[24] This extension was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Parsons Boulevard station and with a parade along Hillside Avenue.[25] On December 15, 1940, trains began running via the newly opened IND Sixth Avenue Line and along the Queens Boulevard Line's express tracks; they skipped the Van Wyck Boulevard station.[26]

Changes

In 1953, the platforms at several IND stations were lengthened to allow eleven-car trains; originally, service was provided with ten-car trains. The lengthened trains began running during rush hour on September 8, 1953. Eleven-car trains would only operate on weekdays.[27] The extra car increased the total carrying capacity by 4,000 passengers.[28] The operation of eleven-car trains ended in 1958 because of operational difficulties. The signal blocks, especially in Manhattan, were too short to accommodate the longer trains, and the motormen had a very small margin of error to properly platform the train. It was found that operating ten-car trains allowed for two additional trains per hour to be scheduled.[29]

In early 1982, in an attempt to cover up empty advertising panels that had been vandalized, students at the nearby PS 117 painted 14 murals at the Van Wyck Boulevard station. After the murals themselves were destroyed by June 1982, the students reinstalled the murals in 1985 and covered them with Plexiglas. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) provided funding for the newer murals as part of its Adopt-a-Station program.[30]

Archer Avenue changes

Before the Archer Avenue lines opened on December 11, 1988, all Queens Boulevard express trains (E and F trains) ran to 179th Street. The E ran express east of 71st Avenue during rush hours only, and the F ran local east of 71st Avenue.

In conjunction with the opening of the Archer Avenue lines, service patterns were changed. E trains were rerouted via the new line, running to Jamaica Center, via the Queens Boulevard Line's express tracks, and began running express east of 71st Avenue.[31] [32] However, some E trains continued to run from 179th Street as expresses during the morning rush hour.[33] Service at local stations, such as Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard, was replaced by the R, which was extended to 179th Street from Continental Avenue. The R extension allowed F trains to continue running express to 179th Street.[34] [35] The changes in subway service angered riders at local stations east of 71st Avenue because they lost direct Queens Boulevard Express service. Local elected officials pressured the MTA to eliminate all-local service at these stations.[36] On September 30, 1990, the R was cut back to 71st Avenue outside of rush hours. Local service to 179th Street was replaced by F trains, which provided Queens Boulevard Express service, during middays, evenings, and weekends, and local G service during late nights.[37] In 1992, the MTA decided to have F trains run local east of 71st Avenue on a six-month trial basis to replace R service, which would be cut back to 71st Avenue at all times.[38] The test started on October 26, 1992, and was implemented on a permanent basis six months later, eliminating express service along Hillside Avenue.[39] [36]

In the late 1990s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposed constructing a ventilation shaft near the Van Wyck Boulevard station.[40]

2010s renovations

The station's exits were rebuilt during the 2010s as part of the Kew Gardens Interchange reconstruction project, which includes replacement of the Queens Boulevard overpass over Van Wyck Expressway.[41] Ecco won the contract for reconstructing the station's entrance at a cost of $9.9 million.[42] In 2011, the north entrance was demolished as part of the interchange-reconstruction project, leaving the southern exit bordering Maple Grove Cemetery as the sole entrance and exit.[43] A new entrance was built next to Archbishop Molloy High School on Main Street, replacing an exit that had been closed since 2010.[44] Another entrance was built on the south side of Queens Boulevard between the Van Wyck Expressway's service and main roads, across from Maple Grove Cemetery.[45]

The project started in 2010 and was originally supposed to have been completed by 2016, with a new elevator entrance and rebuilt, widened mezzanine corridors. However, delays abounded, including the fact that the new Main Street exit was delayed, having been pushed back from August 2012, to October 2013, and then again to March 2014; lead paint needed to be removed, costing $300,000; and plans were changed during construction, costing $1.7 million.[46] The opening of the new Main Street exit was subsequently pushed forward to February 2014, then back again to May 2014. Work on the elevator was to begin after the new entrance opened; the elevator was to be complete by late 2014 or early 2015.[47] A new staircase entrance, on the northwest corner of Queens Boulevard and Main Street, was opened in December 2014.[48] [49] After the new Main Street entrance opened, the MTA added landscaping, pavement, and sidewalks next to the entrance, and it began constructing an elevator entrance.[49]

The elevator was supposed to have been completed in late 2016,[50] but the MTA also missed this deadline.[51] The delays were caused by the need to install emergency systems; in the meantime, some riders chose to travel away to the nearest wheelchair-accessible station, Union Turnpike.[52] The elevator finally opened in May 2017. The elevator runs only between the street and mezzanine, so the station is not ADA-accessible;[53] [51] MTA officials had said that the platform was too narrow to accommodate an elevator.[50] In 2019, the MTA announced that the Briarwood station would become fully ADA-accessible as part of the agency's 2020–2024 Capital Program.[54] The renovation of the station was to be funded by congestion pricing in New York City, but the renovation was postponed in June 2024 after the implementation of congestion pricing was delayed.[55] [56]

Station layout

This local station, which is located directly under the Van Wyck Expressway's southbound service road, has four tracks and two side platforms. The F train stops here at all times, while the E train stops here during evenings, late nights, and weekends. The E uses the two center tracks to bypass this station weekdays (Manhattan-bound from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Jamaica-bound from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.). The next stop to the west is Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike. The next stop to the east is Sutphin Boulevard station for trains and Jamaica–Van Wyck for trains.

The platforms have Slate blue I-beam columns, a Jasmine yellow tile trim with black borders, and name tablets reading "VAN WYCK BLVD." in white sans-serif lettering on a black background with a Jasmine yellow border. Small panels reading "BRIARWOOD" in white Copperplate font are centered underneath each name tablet; they were placed over the original directional exit tiling (in place at other IND stations) that pointed to Queens Boulevard or 85th Avenue, the latter of which has never existed. The small tile captions running below the trim line retain the original "VAN WYCK" name.The tile band is part of a color-coded tile system used throughout the IND.[57] The tile colors were designed to facilitate navigation for travelers going away from Lower Manhattan. As such, a different tile color is used at, the next express station to the east. The yellow tiles used at the Briarwood station were also used at, the next express station to the west, and, the only other local station between Union Turnpike and Parsons Boulevard.[58] [59]

The I-beam piers on the platforms are located every 15abbr=NaNabbr= and support girders above the platforms. The roof girders are also connected to columns in the walls adjoining each platform.[60] The full-length mezzanine is directly above the platforms; however the northern half was closed, and the station mezzanine has hosted the NYPD Transit Bureau's District 20 station house since the mid-1990s. The open southern half is separated into three sections with chain-link fences; fare control is in the middle due to the need to have a pedestrian underpass under Queens Boulevard. As a result, there are no free transfers between directions.[61]

The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The outer walls of this trough are composed of columns, spaced approximately every 5feet with concrete infill between them. There is a 1abbr=NaNabbr= gap between the tunnel wall and the platform wall, which is made of 4abbr=NaNabbr=-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish. The columns between the tracks are also spaced every 5feet, with no infill.

Exits

The full-time exit is via a long passageway to Main Street and Queens Boulevard, where there is an escalator and elevator to the north side of Queens Boulevard. The elevator leads only to the mezzanine level.[53] Another pair of exits exists at the southwestern corner of Queens Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway service road: one on the west side of the service road next to Maple Grove Cemetery, the other on the east side of the service road adjoining the Van Wyck Expressway.

Track layout

To the west of this station are track connections from both pairs of express and local tracks, which lead to Jamaica Yard.

Just to the compass south (railroad north) of this station, the IND Archer Avenue Line splits from the Queens Boulevard Line in a flying junction; trains to/from the Archer Avenue line can serve the station as local trains or bypass it as express trains. At the split, the Archer Avenue tracks split from both pairs of express and local Queens Boulevard tracks. The connection uses trackways that were constructed at the same time as the station, part of the section of the Queens Boulevard Line from Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike to 169th Street.

The provision (then known as the "Van Wyck Stub") was intended to be built as part of the IND Second System in the 1920s and 1930s. The original plans had a line diverging south of Briarwood, running down what is now the Van Wyck Expressway to Rockaway Boulevard near modern John F. Kennedy International Airport. The extension was never constructed due to lack of funding. The current Archer Avenue plans emerged in the 1960s under the city and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s Program for Action. It was conceived as an expansion of Queens Boulevard service to a "Southeast Queens" line along the right-of-way of the Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Branch towards Locust Manor; a two-track spur from the Queens Boulevard Line would use the original Van Wyck Boulevard bellmouths.[62] [63] [64] However, the line was only completed to Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer, and opened several years behind schedule in 1988.[65] There are punch boxes on the Jamaica-bound track of this station to allow trains to go to either the Hillside Avenue or Archer Avenue lines.

Naming

The station was originally known as Van Wyck Boulevard, for the wide thoroughfare that existed when the station opened. The Van Wyck Expressway was built over the boulevard in 1949.[66] As early as 1997, the Briarwood Community Association had been pushing to rename the station to "Briarwood" or "Briarwood–Van Wyck" since it better reflected the fact that the station served the Briarwood neighborhood.[67] Furthermore, the existing name memorialized Robert Anderson Van Wyck, the first mayor of the City of Greater New York, who had been accused of corruption.[68] Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer supported the proposed renaming.[69] The name was changed to Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard in 1998[70] to avoid confusion with Jamaica–Van Wyck on the IND Archer Avenue Line.[71] The mosaic tilework remained unchanged.

By 2008, community members were advocating for the "Van Wyck" name to be dropped entirely, since "Van Wyck Boulevard" does not characterize the area well (the now-expressway runs through several other neighborhoods in Queens). State senator Tony Avella and local community groups pressed for the name change. The legislation, proposed in January 2013, was passed in the New York State Assembly on June 19, 2014.[72] In August 2014, it was announced that the station would be renamed Briarwood.[73] The station was formally renamed on April 17, 2015.[74] [75]

In popular culture

In the 1988 comedy film Coming to America, Eddie Murphy's character, Akeem, tries to persuade his love interest to marry him and go to Zamunda, a fictional kingdom in Africa. He follows her onto the Briarwood station. When Akeem jumps the turnstile, "Van Wyck Boulevard" can be seen in the background above the token booth. They board the train which next stops at the Sutphin Boulevard station where she gets off.[76] This scene, however, was actually shot at the unused platform and tracks of Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station in Brooklyn.[77]

External links

Notes and References

  1. See:
  2. News: Queens Lauded as Best Boro By Chamber Chief. September 23, 1929. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 4, 2015. 40.
  3. News: March 21, 1925. New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000. en-US. 1. The New York Times. March 27, 2020. 0362-4331.
  4. News: $17,146,500 Voted For New Subways; Estimate Board Appropriates More Than $9,000,000 for Lines in Brooklyn. $6,490,000 For The Bronx Smaller Items for Incidental Work --Approves the Proposed Queens Boulevard Route. October 5, 1928. The New York Times. August 4, 2016. 0362-4331.
  5. News: Action on Queens Subway Delayed. November 14, 1929. Brooklyn Times-Union. October 4, 2015. 14.
  6. News: 178th Street Subway Stop Now Assured. Place Is Designated for Station by Transportation Board.. December 1, 1930. Long Island Daily Press. April 25, 2019. 1.
  7. News: July 23, 1933 . 22 Stations On New Subway Into Queens: Five Are Designated Express Stops on Transit Route, Which Ends at Jamaica . H2 . New York Herald Tribune . 1941-0646 . .
  8. News: New Subway to Jamaica Ahead of Schedule Time. September 17, 1933. New York Daily News. September 12, 2019.
  9. Book: Forest Hills. Hirshon. Nicholas. Romano. Foreword by Ray. January 1, 2013. Arcadia Publishing. 978-0-7385-9785-0. en.
  10. News: August 19, 1933. Two Subway Links Opened In Queens. 13. The New York Times. December 11, 2016. 0362-4331.
  11. News: Unfinished Sections of Subway Lines To Be Completed. December 13, 1933. The New York Sun. July 30, 2016. 47.
  12. News: Trains Testing Jamaica Link Of City Subway. April 10, 1937. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 24, 2018. 3.
  13. News: Men Toil Under Earth to Build Subway. Neufeld. Ernest. August 23, 1936. Long Island Daily Press. August 12, 2016. 2 (Section 2).
  14. See:
  15. News: Men Toil Under Earth to Build Subway. Neufeld. Ernest. August 23, 1936. Long Island Daily Press. August 12, 2016. 2 (Section 2).
  16. News: Two Crews Rush to Finish Last 200 Feet of Subwav: Work Must End April 3 to Allow Time for Tests. March 19, 1937. Long Island Daily Press. April 25, 2019. 1.
  17. News: December 31, 1936. City Subway Opens Queens Link Today. 3. The New York Times. April 26, 2016. 0362-4331.
  18. News: April 10, 1937 . Jamaica Ready For Opening of Subway April 24: Mayor Announcers Program Including Official Trip, Luncheon and a Parade . 13 . New York Herald Tribune . 1941-0646 . .
  19. Book: Kramer, Frederick A.. Building the Independent Subway. 1990. Quadrant Press. 978-0-915276-50-9. en.
  20. News: New Subway Link to Jamaica Opened; La Guardia, City Officials and Civic Groups Make Trial Run on 10-Car Train. April 25, 1937. The New York Times. 0362-4331. March 8, 2019.
  21. News: April 25, 1937 . Jamaica Linked To City Subway With Ceremony: LaGuardia Assures 2,000 Queens Celebrants 'We'll Build More,' if Funds Hold Express Service Begun Official Inspection Held as Civic Groups Parade . 13 . New York Herald Tribune . 1941-0646 . .
  22. News: Jamaica Will Greet Subway. April 23, 1937. The New York Sun. April 24, 2018. 8.
  23. News: Transit Link Open Today; 8th Ave. Line Extended to Jamaica—Celebration Arranged. April 24, 1937. The New York Times. August 4, 2016. 0362-4331.
  24. News: LaGuardia Heads Speakers Marking Subway Opening Ceremonies Planned Saturday Celebrating Hillside Avenue Extension. April 23, 2017. North Shore Daily Journal. November 19, 2017. 3.
  25. See:
  26. Book: Report. 1953. New York City Transit Authority. en.
  27. News: 2 Subway Lines to Add Cars, Another to Speed Up Service. Ingalls. Leonard. August 28, 1953. The New York Times. January 25, 2016. 0362-4331.
  28. News: 16-Point Plan Can Give Boro Relief Now. August 10, 1962. Long Island Star–Journal. April 24, 2018.
  29. News: . Students' Paint and Plexiglas Transform the IND into ART . Adrianne . Goodman . November 14, 1985 . 25 . Newsday.
  30. News: Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin. Johnson. Kirk. December 9, 1988. The New York Times. June 6, 2016. 0362-4331.
  31. Book: Alternatives Analysis/Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Queens Subway Options Study. May 1990. United States Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Urban Mass Transit Administration. August 13, 2016.
  32. Book: Archer Avenue Corridor Transit Service Proposal. August 1988. New York City Transit Authority, Operations Planning Department.
  33. News: New Subway Line Finally Rolling Through Queens. Polsky. Carol. December 11, 1988. Newsday.
  34. 1988. Archer Avenue Extension Opens December 11. Welcome Aboard: Newsletter of the New York City Transit Authority. New York City Transit Authority. 1. 4. 1.
  35. Web site: Service Change Monitoring Report Six Month Evaluation of F/R Queens Boulevard Line Route Restructure. April 1993. www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 28, 2018.
  36. Web site: Service Changes September 30, 1990. September 30, 1990. subwaynut.com. New York City Transit Authority. May 1, 2016. October 26, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141026015324/http://www.subwaynut.com/brochures/1990servicechanges.pdf. dead.
  37. Web site: Van Wyck Blvd Station. May 1992. www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 28, 2018.
  38. Web site: October 1992 New York City Subway Map. October 1992. Flickr. New York City Transit Authority. October 30, 2016.
  39. News: Lii . Jane H. . February 2, 1997 . Sugar Hill Sours On Plan for Subway Ventilation Pipe . en-US . The New York Times . January 18, 2023 . 0362-4331.
  40. News: Haller. Vera. July 16, 2014. Briarwood, Queens: A Quiet Refuge Bounded by Traffic. en-US. The New York Times. January 18, 2023. 0362-4331.
  41. Web site: Briarwood Construction End Date Pushed Back. Joe Marvilli. Queens Tribune. January 2, 2014. August 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20171112101549/http://queenstribune.com/briarwood-construction-end-date-pushed-back/. November 12, 2017. dead.
  42. Web site: Chan . Melissa . Construction to close subway entrance – QNS.com . QNS.com . September 27, 2011 . January 18, 2023.
  43. Web site: Entrance Slated To Open in Fall. Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska. DNA Info. May 28, 2013. August 27, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140904230315/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130528/briarwood/new-briarwood-subway-entrance-slated-open-fall. September 4, 2014.
  44. Web site: Gannon . Michael . Briarwood weathers Kew Interchange . Queens Chronicle . September 22, 2011 . January 18, 2023.
  45. Web site: Entrance Slated To Open in Fall . Ewa . Kern-Jedrychowska . DNA Info . December 19, 2013 . August 27, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140904230224/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131219/briarwood/reopening-of-briarwood-subway-entrance-delayed-until-spring . September 4, 2014 .
  46. Web site: Subway station work continues in 2014. January 23, 2014. Queens Chronicle. Christopher Barca. August 27, 2014.
  47. Web site: Briarwood subway entrance now open. Gannon. Michael. December 11, 2014. Queens Chronicle. August 2, 2016.
  48. Web site: Jankiewicz . Eric . Subway entrance renovations under Kew Gardens Interchange completed – QNS.com . QNS.com . December 9, 2014 . January 18, 2023.
  49. Web site: Kern-Jedrychowska . Ewa . Elevator at Briarwood Station To Be Completed By End of Year, Officials Say . DNAinfo New York . August 24, 2016 . January 18, 2023 . January 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118234844/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160824/briarwood/elevator-at-briarwood-station-be-completed-by-end-of-year-officials-say/ . dead .
  50. Web site: Alonzo . Levar . Briarwood elevator to open in spring: DOT . Queens Chronicle . March 30, 2017 . January 18, 2023.
  51. Web site: Kern-Jedrychowska . Ewa . Long-Delayed Briarwood Subway Station Elevator to Open Late Spring: DOT . DNAinfo New York . March 24, 2017 . January 18, 2023 . January 18, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118234847/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170324/briarwood/briarwood-subway-station-elevator-delays/ . dead .
  52. Web site: Residents Welcome Long-Delayed Elevator at Briarwood Subway Station. Kern-Jedrychowska. Ewa. May 1, 2017. DNAinfo New York. https://web.archive.org/web/20170502072922/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170501/briarwood/briarwood-subway-station-elevator-delays-kew-gardens-interchange-project. May 2, 2017. dead. May 5, 2017.
  53. Web site: Press Release - MTA Headquarters - MTA Announces 20 Additional Subway Stations to Receive Accessibility Improvements Under Proposed 2020-2024 Capital Plan. December 19, 2019. MTA. December 20, 2019. April 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200421204344/http://www.mta.info/press-release/mta-headquarters/mta-announces-20-additional-subway-stations-receive-accessibility. dead.
  54. Web site: Nessen . Stephen . Dreary Chambers Street subway station will remain decrepit due to congestion pricing pause . Gothamist . June 27, 2024 . June 28, 2024.
  55. News: Collins. Keith. 2024-07-11. See How Your Subway Service May Suffer Without Congestion Pricing. 2024-07-12. The New York Times. en-US. 0362-4331.
  56. News: August 22, 1932 . Tile Colors a Guide in the New Subway; Decoration Scheme Changes at Each Express Stop to Tell Riders Where They Are . en-US . The New York Times . live . July 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220701184626/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/08/22/archives/tile-colors-a-guide-in-the-new-subway-decoration-scheme-changes-at.html . July 1, 2022 . 0362-4331.
  57. Web site: Carlson . Jen . Map: These Color Tiles In The Subway System Used To Mean Something . Gothamist . February 18, 2016 . May 10, 2023.
  58. Web site: Gleason . Will . The hidden meaning behind the New York subway's colored tiles . Time Out New York . February 18, 2016 . May 10, 2023.
  59. Records of the National Park Service, 1785 - 2006. National Archives. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05000672.pdf. National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 - 2017. New York MPS Elmhurst Avenue Subway Station (IND). 05000672. National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York.
  60. Web site: MTA Neighborhood Maps: Kew Gardens. 2015. mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 2, 2016.
  61. Web site: Burks. Edward C.. Work Begun on Queens Subway Extension. The New York Times. September 26, 2015. October 24, 1973.
  62. Book: Archer Ave Route (proposed) Construction, Queens: Environmental Impact Statement. August 6, 2016. August 1973. Urban Mass Transit Administration, United States Department of Transportation.
  63. Web site: Dembart. Lee. A Sentimental Journey on the BMT.... The New York Times. July 2, 2015. September 9, 1977.
  64. News: Johnson . Kirk . Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin . . December 9, 1988 . July 5, 2009.
  65. News: Benjamin . Elizabeth . April 13, 1997 . What's in a Name? All Aboard for Briarwood! . 181 . Newsday . January 18, 2023.
  66. News: Bertrand . Donald . June 10, 2002 . Briarwood Traffic Isle Getting Leafy Face-lift . 1 . New York Daily News . .
  67. News: Bertrand . Donald . March 27, 1997 . IND stop stings Briarwood . 210 . Daily News . January 19, 2023.
  68. News: Murphy . William . Janison . Dan . April 25, 1997 . Bronx Bouquet to Briarwood . 32 . Newsday . January 19, 2023.
  69. Web site: Change Could Be Next Stop for 'Briarwood/Van Wyck' Subway Station Name. Kern-Jedrychowska. Ewa. March 17, 2014. DNAinfo New York. July 28, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160821185057/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140317/briarwood/change-could-be-next-stop-for-briarwoodvan-wyck-subway-station-name/slideshow/503850. August 21, 2016.
  70. A neighborhood association for the area in which the station lies campaigned for the name change in 1997 (Web site: What's in a Name? All Aboard for Briarwood! . https://archive.today/20130411163928/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/14138475.html?dids=14138475:14138475&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Apr+13,+1997&author=BY+ELIZABETH+BENJAMIN.+STAFF+WRITER&pub=Newsday+(Combined+editions)&desc=What's+in+a+Name%3F+All+Aboard+for+Briarwood!. dead. April 11, 2013. Newsday . February 7, 2013. April 13, 1997.) A page on the Queens Boulevard line on New York City Subway Resources accessed in 1998 includes this phrase in the station's description: "This station has a new secondary name, Briarwood, that hasn't appeared on the map yet."
  71. Web site: Briarwood station closer to renaming. Barca. Christopher. August 7, 2014. Queens Chronicle. August 23, 2014.
  72. Web site: Neighbors want the name of subway station changed. April 10, 2016. Greg Mocker. PIX11. August 27, 2014.
  73. Web site: Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard Subway Station Gets Simpler Name. NY1. April 17, 2015. April 22, 2015.
  74. Web site: Briarwood station name shortened. Suriel. Alina. April 17, 2015. Queens Courier. April 22, 2015.
  75. Web site: Coming To America. Schreil. Cristina. June 24, 2015. Queens Chronicle. April 28, 2016.
  76. Web site: Young . Michelle . March 4, 2021 . Coming to America Filming Locations: Then & Now - Page 10 of 10 . January 18, 2023 . Untapped New York.