Governor Hochul Announces Comprehensive Modernization Project to Restore Century-Old Chambers St Subway Station

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking contractors to design, construct and rehabilitate one of the most historic stations in the subway system - the Chambers St JZ station, which opened in 1913. This comprehensive renewal project will rebuild structures, replace tiles, upgrade stairways and restore the station from top to bottom, including its architectural finishes. The project is part of the MTA's 2020 - 2024 Capital Plan, and is made possible by funding from congestion pricing.

"Chambers St has stood for decades as a living monument of generations of underinvestment in our transit system, now, thanks to funding from congestion pricing, that finally changes," Governor Hochul said. "I promised New Yorkers that congestion pricing would not just clean our air and speed up traffic, it would unleash billions in investments to improve the lifeblood of our city. Advancing this project and giving Chambers St the rehabilitation it so desperately needs will show New Yorkers what is possible when we invest in transit."

The project will deliver a complete rehabilitation, improving both station appearance and infrastructure, while preserving the historic details of the station. Chambers St is on the register of National Historic Places as declared by the U.S. Department of the Interior and serves 18,196 riders on an average weekday. The MTA will award the design-build contract by the end of the year. The Chambers St station is among the most urgently in need of repair and rehabilitation in the entire subway system, with water damage and decades of structural decay diminishing the customer experience.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, "Chambers St is the poster child for dilapidated subway stations. Thanks to congestion pricing, we're finally able to give it the comprehensive makeover it needs to enter the 21st century."

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said, "From crumbling ceiling tiles to damaged stairs and regular water leaks, the conditions at the Chambers Street subway station are equal parts unsightly and unbecoming of our city. New Yorkers deserve a transit system they aren't forced to endure, but one they eagerly embrace and that keeps our city moving, including the thousands of hardworking City employees who rely on this stop when commuting to and from work. We are grateful to the Governor and MTA for taking an important step in that endeavor, and we look forward to continue working with them to make our transit system one that all New Yorkers can be proud of."

President of MTA Construction & Development Jamie Torres-Springer said, "The historic Chambers St station is long overdue for rehabilitation. This is the latest example of the critical state-of-good-repair work that the congestion pricing program is facilitating across the system."

The scope of the project includes:

• Painting the station
• Providing new floor finishes at select areas of the public mezzanines
• Replacing or modifying existing station elements, including station stairs, and doors
• Replacing damaged station finishes and restoring historic station finishes, including ceramic tiles, mosaics, terra cotta decorations, base tiles, concrete and marble bases, and trims
• Performing structural repairs, water leak mitigation, and ceiling improvements
• Installing new station lighting, new cameras and updating the existing CCTV system
• Performing preparatory work for the installation of new artwork

Since Congestion Relief Zone tolling began in January 2025, traffic is down and air quality, pedestrian traffic, and quality-of-life indicators, such as noise complaints, have all improved in the Central Business District. The program is also generating $15 billion for the MTA's 2020 -2024 Capital Plan.

Last month, the MTA announced the award of a contract for the construction of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility upgrades at the 3 Av-138 St and Brook Av 6 subway stations in the Bronx and issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for accessibility upgrades including elevators at five Brooklyn subway stations. The stations were selected to improve geographic coverage of accessible stations throughout the system. Both projects are being made possible with funds from congestion pricing.