By Courtney Dentch
The mezzanine, which debuted earlier this month, located above the LIRR platforms at the eastern end of the station along Sutphin Boulevard, acts as a bridge linking the LIRR ticket and office building at the corner of Jamaica Avenue and Sutphin, to the AirTrain terminal at the end of the block.The opening is just part of the project to create an intermodal hub in Jamaica and ease transfers between the different modes of public transportation, said James Dermody, president of the LIRR.”The Jamaica Station rehabilitation project continues to progress smoothly and on schedule with minimal impact on our customers,” he said. “I look forward to its successful completion next year.”The work allows passengers to leave LIRR trains and reach the portal mezzanine using an escalator or stairs. Once on the mezzanine, riders can turn left and enter the concourse level lobby for the AirTrain rail link to Kennedy Airport, or turn right to board one of three elevators that will let them off at street level or in the subway station underground.The mezzanine was designed using chrome and glass to imitate the aesthetics of an airport and to draw the feeling of Kennedy Airport up to Jamaica, according to a news release from the MTA. A large metal canopy covers the entire mezzanine.A public address system and signs mirroring those on the street level were included in the $226 million project. All of the station platforms and canopies were also slated for replacement, along with the westerly pedestrian bridge, the Jamaica central control building and the AirTrain vertical circulation building, the release said.Construction workers were still completing the final components of the plan. Elevators connecting the LIRR platforms to the street were slated to be opened later this year, and permanent staircases at the east end of the station and a Sutphin Boulevard walkway also needed to be built, the release said.And while the work focuses on improving commuter access, drivers were being rerouted along Sutphin Boulevard. Southbound cars were being directed to a temporary lane on the northbound side of the roadway. The closed lane was being used as an interim pedestrian walkway and temporary staircases provide access to the LIRR platform from the street, the release said.Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
