A new mid-block entrance to the 68th Street-Hunter College subway station expected to open next week | Upper East Site
A new mid-block entrance to the 68th Street-Hunter College subway station expected to open next week | Upper East Site

New UES Subway Station Entrance Opens Next Week

A brand new entrance to the Upper East Side’s 68th Street-Hunter College subway station is expected to open in just days, giving thousands of Upper East Side residents another way into the bustling station which has been under construction for the past year, Upper East Site has confirmed.

New mid-block entrance to 68th Street-Hunter College subway station opens next week | MTA
New mid-block entrance to 68th Street-Hunter College subway station opens next week | MTA

The MTA tells Upper East Site that the new mid-block entrance, located on the east side of Lexington Avenue between East 68th and 69th Streets, features an extra wide staircase down to its own mezzanine level with turnstiles that accept both Metrocards and OMNY. 

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Photos provided by the MTA show two Metrocard machines available on the mezzanine level, in addition to a Metrocard balance reader, as well as another set of stairs that lead directly to 68th Street-Hunter College subway station’s northbound platform.

The mezzanine level of the new entrance features turnstiles and Metrocard machines | MTA
The mezzanine level of the new entrance features turnstiles and Metrocard machines | MTA

The new entrance, located next to Metro Drugs beneath the Imperial House co-op, is part of a $146 million upgrade to the 104-year-old station that will finally bring it in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law in 1990. The space the MTA purchased inside the co-op cost five million dollars alone.

Stairs from the mezzanine level lead directly to the northbound (6) platform | MTA
Stairs from the mezzanine level lead directly to the northbound (6) platform | MTA

Three new elevators are also part of the renovation plans. One elevator will be installed at the north east corner of East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, while the other two will be located within the station itself, bringing passengers from the platforms to the mezzanine level.

ALSO READ | Busy Upper East Side Subway Station Getting Much-Needed $146 Million Upgrade

Those subway station improvements are still expected to be ‘substantially completed’ by December 2024.

Rendering shows new elevator at northeast corner of East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue | MTA
Rendering shows new elevator at northeast corner of East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue | MTA

Last week, the MTA also announced it was planning ADA upgrades to the 86th Street-Lexington Avenue station, which include an elevator that reaches the lower level express platforms. However, those improvements are still a very long way off. 

Accessibility upgrades are now planned for the 86th Street-Lexington Avenue subway station | Upper East Site
Accessibility upgrades are now planned for the 86th Street-Lexington Avenue subway station | Upper East Site

During Community Board 8’s Transportation Committee meeting on Wednesday night, an MTA representative revealed that the project is currently in the design state and that the agency likely wouldn’t even have a contractor selected for the project until the end of this year.

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