The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) marked the completion of a major renovation project for MTA Metro-North Railroad’s Cortlandt Station at ceremonies Feb. 15. MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Joseph J. Lhota and Metro-North President Howard Permut joined Cortlandt Town Supervisor Linda Puglisi and other local and state officials for the event in Cortlandt, NY.

The new facility includes an overpass extension that ties the original station east of the tracks with a new entrance on the west side off Route 9A, new parking, and a landscaped, canopy-covered, intermodal drop-off plaza. The overpass incorporates a spacious, heated waiting area with numerous benches and a coffee concession. Elevators and enclosed staircases provide access to both parking lots and the center island platform.

The new parking lot has 712 spaces for cars and nine spaces each for motorcycles and motor scooters, bringing the total number of spaces at the station to 1,615. Other improvements include an additional heated shelter at the north end of the platform and new lighting, signage, emergency call boxes, and bicycle racks.

“Road access and adequate parking are essential if suburbanites are to get out of their cars and onto mass transit,” said Lhota. “This project ensures that Metro-North is ready for the ridership growth that is sure to continue as the regional economy recovers.”

Permut added: “The search for appropriate places to add parking is a major challenge in the dense territory we serve.”

The $34.7 million project received $21.2 million in federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funding, which includes a $5.2 million CMAQ grant to New York State DOT. Metro-North’s capital program contributed $13.5 million to the project.

Photo by New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Patrick Cashin MTA Chairman Joseph J. Lhota, center, speaks at a ceremony commemorating the opening of MTA Metro-North Railroad’s expanded and upgraded station at Cortlandt, NY.