Forte Construction has completed the 19 Elevators Project in collaboration with the MTA and Lead Designer Goldman Copeland, marking the successful closeout of a multi-year accessibility initiative spanning some of New York City’s busiest subway stations.
The 19th and final elevator under the contract, EL 335, was placed into service at West 4th Street-Washington Square station on May 13, 2026, three weeks ahead of schedule.
“The successful completion of the 19 Elevators Project represents years of collaboration among our project teams, the MTA and Goldman Copeland,” said Forte Construction Project Executive Reddy Vangala. “Delivering this final elevator ahead of schedule at West 4th Street–Washington Square marks the successful completion of an effort focused on improving accessibility for riders across the system.”
Beginning in 2023, the contract delivered accessibility improvements across eight major stations throughout Manhattan and Queens, including 14th Street-Union Square, 14th Street-Eighth Avenue, Times Square-42nd Street, Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street, 125th Street-St. Nicholas Avenue, 175th Street-George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal, Lexington Avenue-53rd Street and West 4th Steet-Washington Square. Comprising some of the system’s busiest and most connected transit hubs, these stations collectively serve more than 105 million riders annually, according to MTA ridership data.
West 4th Street–Washington Square is one of Manhattan’s most heavily trafficked transfer stations and a critical connection point within the subway system. Originally opened in 1932, the station has long served residents, students, commuters, and visitors traveling through Greenwich Village.
The commissioning of EL 335 completed three hydraulic elevator replacements at the station including two platform-to-mezzanine elevators and one street-to-mezzanine elevator located at the Northeast Corner of West 3rd Street and Sixth Avenue.
Additional work included reconstruction of elevator landing areas to meet updated accessibility requirements, installation of a new glass canopy with integrated LED lighting at the street-level elevator, sidewalk restoration surrounding the elevator enclosure and the installation of a split cooling system for the Elevator Machine Room.
“The 19 Elevators Project has modernized elevator service on this vital stretch of New York City’s transportation infrastructure to enhance significantly the riders’ experience,” said Daniel Colombini, principal at Goldman Copeland. “We are honored to have worked with the MTA and Forte Construction to bring these improvements, ahead of schedule, to transportation accessibility in New York City.”
With all 19 elevators now in service, the project has delivered accessibility improvements at eight major stations across Manhattan and Queens, expanding accessibility for millions of riders throughout the transit system.
