Broadway/Lafayette St/Bleecker St
Lines:
IND Sixth Ave Line
IRT Lexington Ave Line
List of closed areas (IRT):
List of closed areas (IND):
Bleecker St was built as a local station on the Lexington Avenue Line. Broadway/Lafayette St was built as an express station on the Sixth Avenue Line.
The Bleecker St station had both of its platforms extended in the 1950s to fit ten-car trains. The downtown platform was extended south, where it reached Houston Street; as a result, a free transfer was made to the IND station below. The uptown platform, however, was extended north, where it went farther away from Houston Street (than it already was!); as a result, there was no free transfer to the IND station from the uptown platform for decades. In addition, for unknown reasons, the original Bleecker Street entrances to the downtown platform were sealed and replaced with two entrances just across the bottoms of each entrance - thus, the Bleecker Street entrances to the uptown platform face away Lafayette Street, while the Bleecker Street entrances to the downtown platform face towards Lafayette Street.
The Broadway/Lafayette St station was built below both the Broadway Line and the Lexington Avenue Line. As a result, the mezzanine level was split into three sections. Eventually, only the central section (between the east side of Broadway and the west side of Lafayette St) remained open. The western mezzanine, which led to both western corners of Broadway and Houston Street, as well as the northeastern corner of Mercer Street and Houston Street, was closed and partly repurposed into employee facilities. The eastern mezzanine, which led to the southeastern corner of Lafayette Street and Houston Street, as well as the northwestern corner of Mulberry Street and Houston Street, experienced a similar fate.
However, a project in the early 2000s modified the station greatly. The IRT station's uptown platform was extended southward to finally reach Houston Street; this led to the original extension being closed. Consequently, the IND station's eastern mezzanine was rebuilt to allow transfers to uptown IRT trains, and the exits at this mezzanine were reopened.
Pictures of the closed exits and platform extension can be viewed in the galleries below:
IND Sixth Ave Line
IRT Lexington Ave Line
List of closed areas (IRT):
- Closed platform extension on northbound platform
- Closed exits to Bleecker St & Lafayette St (NW/SW)
List of closed areas (IND):
- Closed western mezzanine, with exits to:
- Broadway & Houston St (NW/SW)
- Mercer St & Houston St (NE)
Bleecker St was built as a local station on the Lexington Avenue Line. Broadway/Lafayette St was built as an express station on the Sixth Avenue Line.
The Bleecker St station had both of its platforms extended in the 1950s to fit ten-car trains. The downtown platform was extended south, where it reached Houston Street; as a result, a free transfer was made to the IND station below. The uptown platform, however, was extended north, where it went farther away from Houston Street (than it already was!); as a result, there was no free transfer to the IND station from the uptown platform for decades. In addition, for unknown reasons, the original Bleecker Street entrances to the downtown platform were sealed and replaced with two entrances just across the bottoms of each entrance - thus, the Bleecker Street entrances to the uptown platform face away Lafayette Street, while the Bleecker Street entrances to the downtown platform face towards Lafayette Street.
The Broadway/Lafayette St station was built below both the Broadway Line and the Lexington Avenue Line. As a result, the mezzanine level was split into three sections. Eventually, only the central section (between the east side of Broadway and the west side of Lafayette St) remained open. The western mezzanine, which led to both western corners of Broadway and Houston Street, as well as the northeastern corner of Mercer Street and Houston Street, was closed and partly repurposed into employee facilities. The eastern mezzanine, which led to the southeastern corner of Lafayette Street and Houston Street, as well as the northwestern corner of Mulberry Street and Houston Street, experienced a similar fate.
However, a project in the early 2000s modified the station greatly. The IRT station's uptown platform was extended southward to finally reach Houston Street; this led to the original extension being closed. Consequently, the IND station's eastern mezzanine was rebuilt to allow transfers to uptown IRT trains, and the exits at this mezzanine were reopened.
Pictures of the closed exits and platform extension can be viewed in the galleries below: