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Reopening of Zerega, Buhre Avenues 6 Line Stations Delayed by 3 Months

By Eddie Small | February 17, 2015 6:21pm
 The MTA hopes to reopen the Zerega and Buhre Avenue stations in May, three months later than they originally planned.
The MTA hopes to reopen the Zerega and Buhre Avenue stations in May, three months later than they originally planned.
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DNAinfo/Nicole Bode

PELHAM BAY — Bronxites will need to wait a few extra months before regaining access to the Zerega Avenue and Buhre Avenue 6 train stops.

The stations, located near the end of the 6 line by the Pelham Bay Park stop, closed for renovations in both directions over the summer and were originally scheduled to reopen in February, according to the MTA.

However, when workers went to repair the stations, they found that the steel beams supporting the mezzanines were extremely worn down, according to MTA spokeswoman Amanda Kwan.

"When we opened it up, we realized that it was more corroded than we thought," she said, "We had to just completely take them out and have them remade from scratch."

The new steel has not been installed yet, and the MTA now hopes to have the stations open in May.

Commuters who need access to Zerega and Buhre avenues can get a free transfer to the Bx4, Bx8 and Bx24 buses as an alternative, and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., there will be a free bus service running roughly every 20 minutes between the Castle Hill Avenue, Westchester Square-East Tremont Avenue, Middletown Road and Buhre Avenue stops.

State Senator Jeff Klein, who represents the district including these stops, recently sent a letter to the MTA urging the agency to quickly finish the renovations.

"Both residents and commuters have waited too long for train service during these cold winter months," he said in a statement, "and I urge the MTA to expedite the completion of this project."

Robert Ciulla, who lives near the Buhre Avenue stop and has been walking to the adjacent Middletown Road station during its closure, said that neighbors were upset about the stations shutting down and criticized the MTA for not effectively letting residents know about the extended closures.

"There has been very little notification of what's going on," he said.

Kwan stressed that the MTA was working to quickly finish the station renovations and appreciated the patience of commuters.

"We’re doing the best we can," Kwan said. "We want to get these stations open as soon as possible."