Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike (IND Queens Boulevard Line)

Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike
New York City Subway rapid transit station
Station statistics
Address Union Turnpike & Queens Boulevard
Queens, NY 11415
Borough Queens
Locale Kew Gardens / Forest Hills
Coordinates 40°42′51″N 73°49′51″W / 40.714151°N 73.830786°W / 40.714151; -73.830786Coordinates: 40°42′51″N 73°49′51″W / 40.714151°N 73.830786°W / 40.714151; -73.830786
Division B (IND)
Line IND Queens Boulevard Line
Services       E  (all times)
      F  (all times)
Transit connections NYCT Bus: Q46, X63, X64, X68
MTA Bus: Airport transportation via Q10 bus Q10, Q37, Q60, QM18, QM21
Railway transportation LIRR: City Terminal Zone (at Kew Gardens)
Structure Underground
Platforms 2 island platforms
cross-platform interchange
Tracks 4
Other information
Opened December 31, 1936 (1936-12-31)
Accessible
Wireless service [1][2]
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 8,354,731[3] Decrease 0.1%
Rank 43 out of 422
Station succession
Next north Briarwood (local): E  F 
Parsons Boulevard (express): E 
Jamaica – Van Wyck (Archer express): E 
Next south 75th Avenue (local): E  F 
Forest Hills – 71st Avenue (express): E 
Next north Jamaica – 179th Street (via Queens Blvd./Hillside): E  F 
Jamaica – Van Wyck (via Archer): E 
Next south Forest Hills – 71st Avenue: E  F 

Kew Gardens – Union Turnpike is an express station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard on the border of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills, Queens, it is served by the E and F trains at all times. Despite the station's name, Union Turnpike forms the border between Kew Gardens and Forest Hills, and the station straddles that border. Multiple entrances are located in each neighborhood.[4]

History

Elevator and southeastern stairway

The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first lines built by the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND),[5][6][7] and stretches between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 179th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.[5][7][8] The Queens Boulevard Line was in part financed by a Public Works Administration (PWA) loan and grant of $25,000,000.[9] One of the proposed stations would have been located at Union Turnpike. A map from June 1925[10] shows a proposed alternate routing for the Queens Boulevard Line, that would have had the line turn via Kew Gardens Road after the Union Turnpike station instead of continuing via Queens Boulevard.[11][12] After proceeding via Kew Gardens Road the line would have turned via Hillside Avenue.[11][12] If this route were used, then Kew Gardens Road would have had to been widened to accommodate the four track line. This alternate routing would have provided for better access to Richmond Hill.[13] In 1930, in anticipation of growth due to the building of the Queens Boulevard Line, several blocks of land along Queens Boulevard were rezoned so that fifteen-story apartment buildings could be built.[14]

On December 31, 1936, the IND Queens Boulevard Line was extended eight stops, and 3.5 miles (5.6 km), from its previous terminus at Roosevelt Avenue to Union Turnpike.[15][16][17][18][19][20] The construction of the extension to Kew Gardens brought significant growth to Queens, specifically in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens.[21][22] New apartment buildings were being built as a result of the subway line, and it transformed Forest Hills and Kew Gardens from being quite residential communities of one-family houses to to becoming active population centers.[23][24][25] The line drastically increased property values around the line.[26][27] On April 24, 1937, the IND Queens Boulevard Line was extended four stops to 169th Street, with 169th Street and Parsons Boulevard serving as terminals.[28][29]

On November 23, 1941, the Q37 bus operated by Green Bus Lines was extended to the station to provide a transfer to the subway.[30] As part of the MTA's 1975 – 1981 transit program, station lighting at Kew Gardens was improved.[31]

Station layout

G Street Level Exit/Entrance
B1 Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
(Elevator at SE corner of Union Turnpike and Kew Gardens Road)
B2
Platform level		 Southbound local ← toward World Trade Center evenings, late nights & weekends (75th Avenue)
← toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue (75th Avenue)
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Southbound express ← toward World Trade Center weekdays (Forest Hills – 71st Avenue)
Northbound express → toward Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer weekdays (Jamaica – Van Wyck) →
→ toward Jamaica – 179th Street rush hours (Parsons Boulevard) →
Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
Northbound local → toward Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer evenings, late nights & weekends (Briarwood) →
→ toward Jamaica – 179th Street (Briarwood) →
B3
Lower level tracks[32][33][34]		 Yard track → No passenger service
Yard track → No passenger service

This express station has four tracks and two island platforms. The F train stops on the outer local tracks at all times while the E stops on the center express tracks weekdays (Manhattan-bound from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Jamaica-bound from 7:30 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.) and on the outer tracks at all other times.[35] During weekdays this is the final transfer point between the E and F trains before they branch off toward their eastern terminals.[32][36]

The platforms have teal blue columns, with yellow trim with a black border and Union Turnpike text underneath on the platform walls.[37]

R33 #9075 just east of the station at 82nd Avenue.

The station is near the Queens Borough Hall, the Queens Criminal Court, and the Kew-Forest School.[4] It is also close to the Forest Hills Tower, which has housed Plaza College since 2014 and also contains administrative offices for FEMA; it formerly housed the headquarters of JetBlue Airways and a public relations office for Con Edison, but the JetBlue office has since moved to the Brewster Building in Long Island City.[38][39][40] At the east end of Queens Borough Hall on 82nd Avenue, a retired IRT redbird, R33 #9075 is on display signed as a 7 train.[41]

Mezzanines

This station is unusual in that its mezzanine is split in two halves. This is because at this location, Union Turnpike and the Jackie Robinson Parkway cross under Queens Boulevard but over the Queens Boulevard Line tracks; the mezzanine is at the level of Union Turnpike, one half on either side, with no connection between the two outside of fare control.

Previously a grade-level intersection, the underpass was constructed simultaneously with the subway station costing $250,000.[42][43] The construction of the underpass with a subway station underneath was a massive undertaking. Three levels were required in order for the underpass and the subway station to be built. The upper level that was built was Queens Boulevard, which carries traffic east and west. The second level is an underpass that carries four lanes of Union Turnpike (and now also the Jackie Robinson Parkway) under the Boulevard. The tunnel is in between the two mezzanines and it would rest atop the roof of the subway station platform.[44]

Several stairs lead down from sidewalk level to walkways on either side of the turnpike, which themselves lead to one of the mezzanines.[4] Automobiles and buses were formerly allowed to drop off and pick up passengers along those walkways (similar to stations on the IND Concourse Line), but car access is currently blocked. This was stopped because the cars caused traffic backups.[32][45][46][47] The underpass is graded east to allow for natural drainage.The lower level would be the subway tracks, which would be about twenty feet below the turnpike grade.[44]

JFK Airport-bound Q10 entering service near the station.

The eastern (railroad north) half of the mezzanine contains the station's full-time token booth. On July 28, 2008, as part of $13.9 million station renovation project, this half, which serves riders of the Q10 and Q37 buses,[4] was upgraded with cube-glass walls, as well as an elevator and ramp. The elevator and ramp make the station wheelchair-accessible and compliant with the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[37][48] Other improvements that were part of the project included the addition of accessible station booth windows, handrails, graphics, public telephones, platform warning strips and the minimization of platform edge gaps.[49]

However, the western (railroad south) half, which serves riders of the heavily used Q46 bus line that runs along Union Turnpike,[4] had its token booth closed and removed (with signage indicating asbestos condemnation). A piece of artwork, Underground Skies-Cloud Forest, that was designed by artist Krystyna Spisak-Madejczyk and architect Anna Chmura was installed in this half of the station mezzanine. This was a project of the Polish American Artist Society, and it was sponsored by the MTA Arts for Transit/Creative Stations Program.[37][50]

Track layout

Northeastern stairway near Queens Borough Hall.

A signal and switch tower is located at the north end of the northbound platform and is active only on weekdays.[32]

There are two diamond crossovers near this station. One is located at the eastern end, for eastbound trains, and the other is located at the western end, for westbound trains. Each allow trains to cross-over between the local and express tracks in the same direction.[51] There is a punch box located at the eastern end of the Jamaica-bound platform, allowing trains to continue along the Queens Boulevard line to 179th Street or to switch to the IND Archer Avenue Line.

East of the station there is a flying junction that connects to the Jamaica Yard via a wye that curves east from the yard towards Briarwood. A second side of the wye curves west to become a lower level of the subway just west of the station.[51][52] The yard itself is situated just north of the station in the southern portion of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, between the Grand Central Parkway and the Van Wyck Expressway.[4][53]

References

  1. ↑ NYC Subway Wireless
  2. ↑ More Subway Stations in Manhattan, Bronx in Line to Get Online, mta.info (March 25, 2015). "The first two phases included stations in Midtown Manhattan and all underground stations in Queens with the exception of the 7 Main St terminal."
  3. ↑ "Facts and Figures: Annual Subway Ridership". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "MTA Neighborhood Maps:Kew Gardens" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 Duffus, R.L. (September 22, 1929). "OUR GREAT SUBWAY NETWORK SPREADS WIDER; New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "QUEENS SUBWAY WORK AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: Completion Will Lead to Big Apartrnent Building, Says William C. Speers.". The New York Times. April 7, 1929. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Queens Lauded as Best Boro By Chamber Chief". Newspapers.com. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 23, 1929. p. 40. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  8. ↑ New York Times, New Subway Routes in Hylan Program to Cost $186,046,000, March 21, 1925, page 1
  9. ↑ "TEST TRAINS RUNNING IN QUEENS SUBWAY; Switch and Signal Equipment of New Independent Line Is Being Checked.". The New York Times. 1936-12-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  10. ↑ "City Subway Lines Proposed Queens Line Long Island City to Jamaica Route 108-A, Route 108-B, Route 108-C As Per Route and General Plans June 5, 1925". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  11. 1 2 "City Subway Lines Proposed Queens Line Long Island City to Jamaica Route 108-A, Route 108-B, Route 108-C As Per Route and General Plans June 5, 1925". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  12. 1 2 "City Subway Lines Proposed Queens Line Long Island City to Jamaica Route 108-A, Route 108-B, Route 108-C As Per Route and General Plans June 5, 1925". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  13. ↑ "CONNOLLY FAVORS CHANGE IN SUBWAY; Suggests That Proposed Route Should Run Through Kew Gardens Road.". The New York Times. 1925-08-22. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  14. ↑ "QUEENS TO HAVE 15-STORY HOUSE; Tall Structure for New Residential Development in ForestHills Area.NEAR BOULEVARD SUBWAYSeveral Blocks Rezoned for High Buildings Between Jamaicaand Kew Gardens. Apartment Height's Increase.". The New York Times. 1930-03-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  15. ↑ "NEW RETAIL AREA IN QUEENS BOROUGH; Sees Roosevelt Avenue Subway Station as Great Shopping Centre. ADVANTAGES POINTED OUT Accessibility to Many Home Communities Assures Potential Market.". The New York Times. 1933-07-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  16. ↑ "Reproduction Poster of Extension to Union Turnpike – Kew Gardens". Flickr – Photo Sharing!. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  17. ↑ Roger P. Roess; Gene Sansone (23 August 2012). The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 416–417. ISBN 978-3-642-30484-2.
  18. ↑ "PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others". nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 30, 1936. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "CITY SUBWAY OPENS QUEENS LINK TODAY; Extension Brings Kew Gardens Within 36 Minutes of 42d St. on Frequent Trains.". The New York Times. 1936-12-31. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  20. ↑ "OPENING MOVED UP FOR NEW SUBWAY; Traffic to Be Started on the Extension of City's Line to Kew Gardens on Thursday. EIGHT STATIONS ARE ADDED La Guardia and Official Party Will Inspect New Queens Branch on Wednesday.". The New York Times. 1936-12-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  21. ↑ "NEW QUEENS SUBWAY STIMULATING GROWTH; Work Now Under Way to Kew Gardens—Many Home Communities Well Populated.". The New York Times. 1931-04-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  22. ↑ "SUBWAY LINK AIDS REALTY ACTIVITYY; Broker Notes the Expansion of Housing Facilities in Queens District". The New York Times. 1937-03-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  23. ↑ "DEMAND IS NOTED FOR QUEENS HOMES; Sales in Many Areas Exceed Summer Expectations of Developers; JAMAICA SECTION ACTIVE; Buying Interest Reported at Kew Gardens—Open Roslyn Community Today Kew Gardens Activity Open Home Center at Roslyn". The New York Times. 1937-07-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  24. ↑ Myers, Steven Lee (1992-06-14). "Life Beyond the Subway Is Subject to Its Own Disruptions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  25. ↑ "FOREST HILLS IS ACTIVE; Renting Is Heaviest in Years There, Broker Reports". The New York Times. 1938-09-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  26. ↑ "SUBWAY LINK AIDS REALTY IN QUEENS; Civic Leaders Urge Careful Planning for the Future Growth of District. APARTMENT TREND SEEN Rising Values Are Predicted for the Forest Hills and Kew Gardens Areas. Views Future With Optimism Cites New Responsibilities SUBWAY LINK AIDS REALTY IN QUEENS Changing Conditions Seen Sales in Rego Park". The New York Times. 1937-01-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  27. ↑ "FOREST HILLS RENTALS; Demand There and in Kew Gardens Higher Than Last Year". The New York Times. 1937-07-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  28. ↑ "Subway Link Opens Soon: City Line to Jamaica Will Start About April 24". nytimes.com. The New York Times. March 17, 1937. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  29. ↑ "Independent Subway Services Beginning in 1932". thejoekorner.com. August 21, 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  30. ↑ "Bus Route Is Extended". The New York Times. 1941-11-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  31. ↑ Burks, Edward C. (1975-03-24). "Plans Outlined to Upgrade Subway and Bus Systems". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  32. 1 2 3 4 "E Train". 2012-02-04. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  33. ↑ "F Train". 2012-02-04. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  34. ↑ nycsubway.org—IND Queens Boulevard Line: Union Turnpike/Kew Gardens
  35. ↑ "E Train Subway Timetable December 6, 2015" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 6, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  36. ↑ "February 2016 New York City Subway Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  37. 1 2 3 Cox, Jeremiah. "Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike (E,F) – The SubwayNut". www.subwaynut.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  38. ↑ Trapasso, Clare (April 8, 2012). "Forest Hills merchants struggling after JetBlue departure: Search is on for company to fill empty Forest Hills space". nydailynews.com. Daily News (New York). Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  39. ↑ JetBlue Airways Corporation; Forest Hills, NY United States (Hoovers.com)
  40. ↑ Mosco, Steve (November 24, 2012). "Forest Hills enjoys boost in business with FEMA arrival". timesledger.com. Times Ledger. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  41. ↑ Gothamist (September 18, 2014). "Visiting The Retired Redbird Subway Train In Queens". gothamist.com. Gothamist. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  42. ↑ "Boro Engineers Approve Plan for Underpasses On Queens Boulevard: Queens Topographical Bureau Outlines Details of $830,000 Project: Both Tunnels to Be Constructed Along With New Subway." (PDF). Queens Daily Star. July 3, 1930. Retrieved April 28, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  43. ↑ "Highway Program Aids Long Island Growth". nytimes.com. The New York Times. April 27, 1930. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  44. 1 2 "Underpass Work Approved By City; May Start Soon: Union Turnpike to Be Carried Under Queens Boulevard, Plan Provides." (PDF). Queens Daily Star. June 4, 1930. Retrieved April 28, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  45. ↑ "From Bus to Subway in Kew Gardens". Grieve-Smith on Transportation. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  46. ↑ "1932 IND Subway New York City Kew Gardens Queens Stone Work Blueprint". worthpoint.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  47. ↑ "KEW GARDENS, Queens | | Forgotten New YorkForgotten New York". forgotten-ny.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  48. ↑ "Kew Gardens Union Turnpike Station Now ADA Compliant". TransitBlogger.com. Transit Blogger. July 31, 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  49. ↑ "MTA | Press Release | NYC Transit | MTA NYC Transit Opens ADA Elevators at Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike EF in Queens". www.mta.info. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  50. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org: Artwork: Underground Skies-Cloud Forest (Krystyna Spisak-Madejczyk)". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  51. 1 2 Marrero, Robert (2015-09-13). "469 Stations, 846 Miles" (PDF). B24 Blog, via Dropbox. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
  52. ↑ "A Picture History of Kew Gardens, NY – Queens Boulevard Rapid Transit". www.oldkewgardens.com. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  53. ↑ "PWA Party Views New Subway Link: Queens Section to Be Opened Tomorrow Is Inspected by Tuttle and Others". nytimes.com. The New York Times. December 30, 1936. Retrieved 27 June 2015.

External links

Front view of the Civic Statue near Queens Borough Hall.
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