Briarwood station

Briarwood
Briarwood
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
	One of the platforms with the old "Van Wyck Boulevard" mosaic.
Station statistics
Address	Main Street & Queens Boulevard; Queens, NY 11435
Borough	Queens
Locale	Briarwood
Coordinates	40°42′35″N 73°49′11″W / 40.70969°N 73.8196°W
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services	E (nights after 9:00 p.m., weekends, and limited a.m. rush hour trips); F (all times) <F> (two rush hour trains, peak direction)
Transit	NYCT Bus: Q20A, Q20B, Q44 SBS, QM21, X63, X64, X68; MTA Bus: Q60
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	April 24, 1937; 87 years ago
Accessible	ADA-accessible to mezzanine only; platforms are not ADA-accessible
Accessibility	Same-platform wheelchair transfer available
Opposite-; direction; transfer	No
Former/other names	Van Wyck Boulevard (1937–1998); Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard (1998–2015)
Traffic
2023	1,046,884 8.1%
Rank	286 out of 423
Station succession
Next north	Template:NYCS next; Template:NYCS next
Next south	Template:NYCS next
Location
Street map
Station service legend
Symbol	Description
	Stops all times
	Stops weekends during the day

Briarwood (formerly Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard or Van Wyck Boulevard) is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 84th Drive, Main Street, Queens Boulevard, and the Van Wyck Expressway, in Briarwood, Queens, bordering Kew Gardens, it is served by the F at all times and the E at all times except rush hours and middays.

Station layout

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Track layout

Legend

					to Sutphin Blvd

					to Jamaica–Van Wyck











					to Jamaica Yard

					to Union Tpke

Ground	Street level	Exit/entrance
Mezzanine		Fare control, station agent, MetroCard machines Elevator at northwest corner of Queens Boulevard and Main Street. Note: Platforms are not accessible
Platform level	Side platform
	Southbound local	← toward World Trade Center evenings/nights/weekends (Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike) ← toward Coney Island (Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike)
	Southbound express	← does not stop here weekdays
	Northbound express	→ does not stop here weekdays →
	Northbound local	→ toward Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer evenings/nights/weekends (Jamaica–Van Wyck) → → toward Jamaica–179th Street (two p.m. rush hour trips) (Sutphin Boulevard) → → toward Jamaica–179th Street (Sutphin Boulevard) →
	Side platform

This station has two side platforms and four tracks. The platforms have Slate Blue columns, a Jasmine Yellow tile trim with black borders, and name tablets containing "VAN WYCK BLVD." in white lettering on a black border with matching yellow trimming.

The full-length mezzanine is directly above the platforms. It is separated into three sections with two black fences. Fare control is in the middle due to the requirement to have a pedestrian underpass under Queens Boulevard, so there is no free transfer between directions. The station is directly under the Van Wyck Expressway's southbound service road at this point, however.^[4]

The station mezzanine has hosted the NYPD Transit Bureau's District 20 station house since the mid-1990s.

Exits

The full-time exit is via a long passageway to Main Street and Queens Boulevard. Another pair of exits exists at the southwestern corner of Queens Boulevard and Van Wyck Expressway, one next to Maple Grove Cemetery, the other next to the Van Wyck Expressway.^[4] Another entrance on the north side of the Queens Boulevard overpass over the Van Wyck Expressway formerly existed, but was later demolished.

Track layout

To the west of this station are track connections from both the express and local tracks to Jamaica Yard.

Just to the compass south (railroad north) of this station, the IND Archer Avenue Line splits from the Queens Boulevard Line in a flying junction; trains to/from the Archer Avenue line can serve the station as local trains or bypass it as express trains. At the split, the Archer Avenue tracks split from both pairs of express and local Queens Boulevard tracks. The connection uses trackways that were constructed at the same time as the station, part of the section of the Queens Boulevard Line from Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike to 169th Street. The provision (then known as the "Van Wyck Stub") was intended to be used by the proposed Van Wyck Boulevard Line going towards Rockaway Boulevard, part of a planned major system expansion that was never built. When construction of the Archer Avenue Line began on August 15, 1972, as part of the Program for Action,^[5] the original tunnels were used for the project, and new tiles and tracks were added. These tunnels are now used for trains going to and from Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer, opened in 1988.^[6] There are punch boxes on the Jamaica-bound track of this station to allow trains to go to either the Hillside Avenue or Archer Avenue lines.

The Van Wyck Boulevard right-of-way, which was proposed from the station's construction, is currently used by the elevated AirTrain JFK, though it makes no stops along the corridor.

Renovation

The station was rebuilt, with new exits, as part of the $147 million Kew Gardens Interchange reconstruction project, which includes bridge replacement of the Queens Boulevard overpass over Van Wyck Expressway. The contract for reconstruction of the station, was bid on and won by Ecco and cost $9.9 million.^[7] In 2011, the north entrance was demolished as part of rebuilding the interchange, leaving the southern exit bordering Maple Grove Cemetery as the sole entrance and exit.^[8] A new entrance is being built next to Archbishop Molloy High School on Main Street; another exit on the same site had been closed since 2010.^[9] Another new entrance currently exists on the south side of Queens Boulevard between the Van Wyck Expressway service and main roads.

Renovation, started in 2010, was to be completed by 2016, with a new elevator entrance and rebuilt, widened mezzanine corridors.^[9] However, delays abounded, including the fact that the new Main Street exit was delayed, having been pushed back from August 2012, to October 2013, and then again to March 2014; lead paint needed to be removed, costing $0.3 million; and plans were changed during construction, costing $1.7 million.^[10] The opening of the new Main Street exit was subsequently pushed forward to February 2014, then back again to May 2014 with elevator work to begin after the new entrance opened; the elevator was to be complete by late 2014 or early 2015.^[11] A new staircase entrance, on the northwest corner of Queens Boulevard and Main Street, was opened in December 2014.^[12] In May 2017, officials opened the new elevator entrance, which is next to the staircase entrance that opened in December 2014. The elevator runs only between the street and mezzanine with no additional elevators or ramps to the platforms, so it is not ADA-accessible.^[13]

Naming

The station's original name was Van Wyck Boulevard. Van Wyck Boulevard was the name of the wide thoroughfare that existed when the station opened in 1937. The Van Wyck Expressway was built over the boulevard in the early 1950s. The name was changed to Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard in 1998^[14] to avoid confusion with Jamaica–Van Wyck on the IND Archer Avenue Line.^[15]

Since 2008, community members had been pushing to rename the station again to simply "Briarwood" since it better reflected the neighborhood of Briarwood, served by the station, and since "Van Wyck Boulevard" does not characterize the area well (the now-expressway runs through several other neighborhoods in Queens).^[14] State Senator Tony Avella and local community groups pressed for the name change. The legislation, proposed in January 2013, passed the New York State Assembly on June 19, 2014.^[16] In August 2014, it was announced that the station would be renamed Briarwood.^[17] The station was formally renamed on April 17, 2015.^[18]^[19]

In popular culture

In the 1988 comedy film Coming to America, Eddie Murphy's character, Akeem, tries to persuade his love interest to marry him and go to Zamunda, a fictional kingdom in Africa. He follows her onto the Briarwood station. When Akeem jumps the turnstile, "Van Wyck Boulevard" can be seen in the background above the token booth. They board the train which next stops at the Sutphin Boulevard station where she gets off.^[20] This scene, however, was actually shot at the unused platform and tracks of Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station in Brooklyn.

References

^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
^ "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Kew Gardens" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
^ nycsubway.org—The 1968 MTA "Program for Action"
^ Johnson, Kirk (December 9, 1988). "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
^ Joe Marvilli (January 2, 2014). "Briarwood Construction End Date Pushed Back". Queens Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
^ Melissa Chan. "Construction to close subway entrance". Queens Courier. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska (May 28, 2013). "Entrance Slated To Open in Fall". DNA Info. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
^ Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska (December 19, 2013). "Entrance Slated To Open in Fall". DNA Info. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
^ Christopher Barca (January 23, 2014). "Subway station work continues in 2014". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
^ Gannon, Michael (December 11, 2014). "Briarwood subway entrance now open". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
^ Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (2017-05-01). "Residents Welcome Long-Delayed Elevator at Briarwood Subway Station". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2017-05-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
^ ^a ^b Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (March 17, 2014). "Change Could Be Next Stop for 'Briarwood/Van Wyck' Subway Station Name". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
^ A neighborhood association for the area in which the station lies campaigned for the name change in 1997 ("What's in a Name? All Aboard for Briarwood!". Newsday. April 13, 1997. Retrieved February 7, 2013.) A page on the Queens Boulevard line on New York City Subway Resources accessed in 1998 includes this phrase in the station's description: "This station has a new secondary name, Briarwood, that hasn't appeared on the map yet."
^ "Briarwood station closer to renaming". Queens Chronicle. August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
^ Greg Mocker (April 10, 2016). "Neighbors want the name of subway station changed". PIX11. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
^ "Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard Subway Station Gets Simpler Name". NY1. April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
^ Alina Suriel (April 17, 2015). "Briarwood station name shortened". Queens Courier. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
^ "'COMING TO AMERICA'". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved April 28, 2016.

External links

nycsubway.org – IND Queens Boulevard Line: Briarwood/Van Wyck Boulevard
Station Reporter—F Train
The Subway Nut—Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard Pictures
Former Queens Boulevard entrance from Google Maps Street View (now demolished)
New Queens Boulevard entrance and elevator from Google Maps Street View
New Van Wyck Expressway entrance (west side) from Google Maps Street View
Old Van Wyck Expressway entrance (west side) from Google Maps Street View
Van Wyck Expressway entrance (east side) from Google Maps Street View
Platforms from Google Maps Street View

[SASDEIS-DIVISION-1] "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.

[riderref-2] "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

[2016-rider-3] "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

[:1-4] "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Kew Gardens" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

[5] ycsubway.org—The 1968 MTA "Program for Action"

[6] Johnson, Kirk (December 9, 1988). "Big Changes For Subways Are to Begin". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2009.

[7] Joe Marvilli (January 2, 2014). "Briarwood Construction End Date Pushed Back". Queens Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2014.

[8] Melissa Chan. "Construction to close subway entrance". Queens Courier. Retrieved August 27, 2014.

[dnainfo_20130528-9] Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska (May 28, 2013). "Entrance Slated To Open in Fall". DNA Info. Retrieved August 27, 2014.

[10] Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska (December 19, 2013). "Entrance Slated To Open in Fall". DNA Info. Retrieved August 27, 2014.

[11] Christopher Barca (January 23, 2014). "Subway station work continues in 2014". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved August 27, 2014.

[12] Gannon, Michael (December 11, 2014). "Briarwood subway entrance now open". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved August 2, 2016.

[13] Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (2017-05-01). "Residents Welcome Long-Delayed Elevator at Briarwood Subway Station". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved 2017-05-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)

[:0-14] Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (March 17, 2014). "Change Could Be Next Stop for 'Briarwood/Van Wyck' Subway Station Name". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved July 28, 2016.

[15] A neighborhood association for the area in which the station lies campaigned for the name change in 1997 ("What's in a Name? All Aboard for Briarwood!". Newsday. April 13, 1997. Retrieved February 7, 2013.) A page on the Queens Boulevard line on New York City Subway Resources accessed in 1998 includes this phrase in the station's description: "This station has a new secondary name, Briarwood, that hasn't appeared on the map yet."

[16] "Briarwood station closer to renaming". Queens Chronicle. August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.

[17] Greg Mocker (April 10, 2016). "Neighbors want the name of subway station changed". PIX11. Retrieved August 27, 2014.

[18] "Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard Subway Station Gets Simpler Name". NY1. April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.

[19] Alina Suriel (April 17, 2015). "Briarwood station name shortened". Queens Courier. Retrieved April 22, 2015.

[20] "'COMING TO AMERICA'". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved April 28, 2016.

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v t e Stations of the New York City Subway, by service
Eighth Avenue Local	Jamaica Center–Parsons/Archer Sutphin Boulevard–Archer Avenue–JFK Airport Jamaica–Van Wyck Briarwood* Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike 75th Avenue* Forest Hills–71st Avenue 67th Avenue* 63rd Drive–Rego Park* Woodhaven Boulevard* Grand Avenue–Newtown* Elmhurst Avenue* Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue 65th Street* Northern Boulevard* 46th Street* Steinway Street* 36th Street* Queens Plaza Court Square–23rd Street Lexington Avenue–53rd Street Fifth Avenue/53rd Street Seventh Avenue 50th Street 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal 34th Street–Penn Station 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Spring Street Canal Street World Trade Center
Queens Blvd Express/ Sixth Avenue Local	Jamaica–179th Street 169th Street Parsons Boulevard Sutphin Boulevard Briarwood Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike 75th Avenue Forest Hills–71st Avenue Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue 21st Street–Queensbridge Roosevelt Island Lexington Avenue–63rd Street 57th Street 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue 34th Street–Herald Square 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Broadway–Lafayette Street/Bleecker Street Second Avenue Delancey Street East Broadway York Street Jay Street–MetroTech Bergen Street Carroll Street Smith–Ninth Streets Fourth Avenue Seventh Avenue 15th Street–Prospect Park Fort Hamilton Parkway Church Avenue Ditmas Avenue 18th Avenue Avenue I Bay Parkway Avenue N Avenue P Kings Highway Avenue U Avenue X Neptune Avenue West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
Queens Blvd Express/ Sixth Avenue Local (Rush Hour Express)	Jamaica–179th Street 169th Street Parsons Boulevard Sutphin Boulevard Briarwood Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike 75th Avenue Forest Hills–71st Avenue Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue 21st Street–Queensbridge Roosevelt Island Lexington Avenue–63rd Street 57th Street 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center 42nd Street–Bryant Park 34th Street–Herald Square 23rd Street 14th Street West Fourth Street–Washington Square Broadway–Lafayette Street Second Avenue Delancey Street East Broadway York Street Jay Street–MetroTech Seventh Avenue Church Avenue Ditmas Avenue 18th Avenue Avenue I Bay Parkway Avenue N Avenue P Kings Highway Avenue U Avenue X Neptune Avenue West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue
See also Lists by borough (The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens) Accessible Closed Terminals Transfer Commons category Note: Service variations, station closures, and reroutes are not reflected here. Stations with asterisks have no regular peak, reverse peak, or midday service on that route. See linked articles for more information.