Craig Lader told Community Board 8 that the Fume project at the East 86th Street-Lexington Avenue subway station is now going to be delayed a year. The accessibility work has been slowing since construction began in December 2023, and commuters using the 4, 5 and 6 trains are still moving through crowded platforms, narrow passageways and long lines.
“This is now going to be delayed a year,” said Lader, the co-chair of Community Board 8's Transportation Committee. He also said, “I really fear that if there was a need for a quick evacuation, that it would be really problematic, and somebody could get hurt or even worse.”
Community Board 8 meeting
MTA officials told Upper Siders this week at a Community Board 8 meeting that the station project is facing several delays. The work began in December 2023 and was initially slated for completion by the end of 2026, but crews have already had to remove about 1,100 cubic yards of rock to expand the station’s lower mezzanine.
Christopher Alexandrich, the project manager, said scaffolding from a nearby building blocked work on the northwest corner. He said the scaffolding was expected to come down in summer 2024 but remained in place. He also told the meeting, “Whenever you open up the street, it's just unknowns.”
“Drawings are provided with rough dimensions, and a lot of those drawings are 60, 70, 80 years old,” Alexandrich said. The project is meant to add one new street-level elevator for the southbound platform and two new upper- and lower-platform elevators that would serve both directions, while the station currently has one elevator and still does not offer full accessibility.
Lexington Avenue construction footprint
MTA officials said construction barricades should begin taking up less space as work advances, and they said the northeast side should have a reduced construction footprint before the new year. The project also includes an ADA-compliant raised boarding area with platform edge tactile strips, reconstruction of multiple staircases and new curb ramps at street level.
Andrew Fine, an Upper Sider, said, “Let's face it. This is the MTA. They're not new to this. They should know that there are a lot of complications.” The delay leaves the station partly constrained while the promised changes are still under construction, and riders who use the station will keep dealing with the same tight passageways until more of the barricades come down.
The practical next step for riders is simple: the footprint should shrink further before the new year, but the station will remain a work zone as the accessibility build-out continues. The project is now running behind the original schedule, and the question left hanging is how long that delay will last beyond the end of 2026 target.
