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Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues (New York City Subway)
Encyclopedia
Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues is a New York City Subway
station
complex formed by the intersecting stations of the BMT Canarsie Line
and the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
. Served by the L
and M
trains at all times, it is located at Myrtle Avenue
and Wyckoff Avenue in the Bushwick
neighborhood of Brooklyn
and the Ridgewood
neighborhood of Queens
(since Wyckoff Avenue between Gates Avenue and Eldert Street forms the border between Brooklyn and Queens). The complex is connected by a set of stairs and escalators between the elevated and underground levels.
Beginning in 2004, the station underwent rehabilitation that included structural steel repairs and significant expansion. The work, completed by Judlau Contracting in May 2008, cost $51 million. On April 19, 2007, the new and expanded main station building at the triangle of Myrtle, Gates and Wyckoff Avenues was formally opened. Improvements to the complex included lighting upgrades, stairway reconfigurations, new interior finishes, and a new communication system. In the fall of 2007, the station became ADA compliant
as three new elevators were put into service. A glass enclosed rotunda adorns the front of the building.
Since many buses stop here, the MTA opened the 'Ridgewood Intermodal Terminal' here in August 2010. Palmetto St. was shuttered to all traffic except for buses in order for the Q55, Q58, B13, B26, B52, and B54 buses to terminate closer together, to increase accessibility and convenience for bus, elevated, and subway transfers. It is important to note that neither the elevated BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
or the underground BMT Canarsie Line
terminate here, merely the bus lines.
Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line (originally named Wyckoff Avenue) is an elevated station, which is located entirely in Brooklyn (unlike the Canarsie station that is located partially in Brooklyn and partially in Queens). At the time of its opening on July 21, 1899, it had a single island platform with two tracks. Originally, the line stub ended at the original Wyckoff station which was past the present curve that is just north of this station. It was subsequently extended in the early 1900s to the street level ROW to Metropolitan Avenue and during the Dual Contracts era routed on to the present el structure.
On July 29, 1914, the station was reconfigured to two island platforms in order to accommodate an additional express track to Broadway – Myrtle Avenue. (The remainder of the line east of this station is a two-track configuration.) When the el was rebuilt to three tracks in 1914, the BMT Canarsie Line
was still planned to be on an El between Montrose Avenue and Broadway Junction. The express track was in anticipation of potentially different service pattern and anticipation of Canarsie line on Wyckoff Ave that would have had track connections just north of this station between the two lines.
The tower that existed north of this station was also build in anticipation of a junction between this line and the Canarsie line, which was originally supposed to be elevated east of the Montrose Avenue station. The Wyckoff tower never had any switch machines, it was just used as an office.
By 1946, the center track was removed, the two platforms were joined together by a wooden walkway near the station's two staircases, and railings were installed where the center track existed. In the 2000s station reconstruction, the double staircases were replaced with a single wide staircase, and the former center track was permanently eliminated with concrete connecting walkways and fencing around the gaps.
. A mosaic band is set at eye level, rather than high up on the wall, with brick red, yellow, tan and light blue offset by indigo and maroon. Unlike other Canarsie Line island platform stations, there are no visible girders in the walls. The ceiling is also lower than those at the other island platform stations. For most of its length, the Canarsie-bound side is located in Brooklyn, while the Manhattan-bound side is in Queens.
South of this station there is a third track for layups or storage, which is used for trains terminating here.
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
station
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
complex formed by the intersecting stations of the BMT Canarsie Line
BMT Canarsie Line
The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...
and the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads...
. Served by the L
L (New York City Subway service)
The L 14th Street – Canarsie Local is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway, providing service along the entire length of the two-tracked BMT Canarsie Line...
and M
M (New York City Subway service)
The M Sixth Avenue Local is a rapid transit service of the B Division of the New York City Subway. It is colored orange on route signs, station signs, and the official subway map, since it runs on the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan....
trains at all times, it is located at Myrtle Avenue
Myrtle Avenue (New York City)
Myrtle Avenue in New York City is a street that runs from Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn to Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens.-In Queens:...
and Wyckoff Avenue in the Bushwick
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood, formerly Brooklyn's 18th Ward, is now part of Brooklyn Community Board 4...
neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and the Ridgewood
Ridgewood, Queens
Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
neighborhood of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
(since Wyckoff Avenue between Gates Avenue and Eldert Street forms the border between Brooklyn and Queens). The complex is connected by a set of stairs and escalators between the elevated and underground levels.
Beginning in 2004, the station underwent rehabilitation that included structural steel repairs and significant expansion. The work, completed by Judlau Contracting in May 2008, cost $51 million. On April 19, 2007, the new and expanded main station building at the triangle of Myrtle, Gates and Wyckoff Avenues was formally opened. Improvements to the complex included lighting upgrades, stairway reconfigurations, new interior finishes, and a new communication system. In the fall of 2007, the station became ADA compliant
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
as three new elevators were put into service. A glass enclosed rotunda adorns the front of the building.
Since many buses stop here, the MTA opened the 'Ridgewood Intermodal Terminal' here in August 2010. Palmetto St. was shuttered to all traffic except for buses in order for the Q55, Q58, B13, B26, B52, and B54 buses to terminate closer together, to increase accessibility and convenience for bus, elevated, and subway transfers. It is important to note that neither the elevated BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads...
or the underground BMT Canarsie Line
BMT Canarsie Line
The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...
terminate here, merely the bus lines.
BMT Myrtle Avenue Line platforms
On July 29, 1914, the station was reconfigured to two island platforms in order to accommodate an additional express track to Broadway – Myrtle Avenue. (The remainder of the line east of this station is a two-track configuration.) When the el was rebuilt to three tracks in 1914, the BMT Canarsie Line
BMT Canarsie Line
The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...
was still planned to be on an El between Montrose Avenue and Broadway Junction. The express track was in anticipation of potentially different service pattern and anticipation of Canarsie line on Wyckoff Ave that would have had track connections just north of this station between the two lines.
The tower that existed north of this station was also build in anticipation of a junction between this line and the Canarsie line, which was originally supposed to be elevated east of the Montrose Avenue station. The Wyckoff tower never had any switch machines, it was just used as an office.
By 1946, the center track was removed, the two platforms were joined together by a wooden walkway near the station's two staircases, and railings were installed where the center track existed. In the 2000s station reconstruction, the double staircases were replaced with a single wide staircase, and the former center track was permanently eliminated with concrete connecting walkways and fencing around the gaps.
BMT Canarsie Line platform
Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues on the BMT Canarsie Line (originally named Myrtle Avenue) is underground and has two tracks with an island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
. A mosaic band is set at eye level, rather than high up on the wall, with brick red, yellow, tan and light blue offset by indigo and maroon. Unlike other Canarsie Line island platform stations, there are no visible girders in the walls. The ceiling is also lower than those at the other island platform stations. For most of its length, the Canarsie-bound side is located in Brooklyn, while the Manhattan-bound side is in Queens.
South of this station there is a third track for layups or storage, which is used for trains terminating here.
External links
- Station Reporter — Myrtle–Wyckoff Complex
- The Subway Nut — Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues (L) Pictures
- The Subway Nut — Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues (M) Pictures
- MTA's Arts For Transit — Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues
- Wyckoff Avenue entrance to station house from Google Maps Street View
- Myrtle and Wyckoff Avenues entrance from Google Maps Street View