Briarwood, NY – Today, Senator Tony Avella and Assemblyman David Weprin were joined by Seymour “Sy” Schwartz, president of the Briarwood Community Association, to announce the renaming of the Briarwood subway station.

While undergoing construction, the station’s name was recently changed from “Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard” to “Briarwood,” eliminating an outdated inaccuracy that has remained the station’s official name for decades. The original name was a reflection of Van Wyck Boulevard, a major roadway through the Briarwood community, but the street has not existed in this neighborhood for more than 50 years. However, the subway station’s name was never changed and has since caused major confusion for residents and tourists who use this stop.

Senator Avella and Assemblyman Weprin both previously introduced legislation (S.6816/A.789) that would require the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to remove “Van Wyck Boulevard” from all signage at this stop. Both Legislative houses passed the bill in 2014, but it was later vetoed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. However, he later directed the MTA to make the changes.

“The renaming of what is now the Briarwood Subway Station is a long-time coming and represents a huge victory for the people of this community who have fought for it for so long. There has been no connection between Van Wyck Boulevard and this area of Briarwood for quite some time, and it is unfair to continue referencing the street in the name of this station. It is about time that the name of this neighborhood’s only train station reflects the people who live here, not a street that once ran through the area. I am happy to be joined today by Assemblyman Weprin and Sy Schwartz of the Briarwood Community Association to finally celebrate the change we have sought for years,” said Senator Avella.

"Briarwood is a dynamic community with rich history, and I recognize the need to best represent their interests, as well as to preserve the identity of the station’s geographic location relative to the overall community characteristics. I am grateful to be standing here today with Senator Avella and Sy Schwartz in front of the permanently re-named Briarwood Subway Station. In 2014, with Senator Avella, I introduced legislation to effectively change the name of the Briarwood-Van Wyck subway station to the Briarwood Station. After years of hard work, it is an incredible feeling to be here with my colleagues and friends to finally unveil it," said Assemblyman David Weprin.

“It took us 14 years, but we did it, and the initiative taken on our behalf by our representatives, State Assemblyman David Weprin and State Senator Tony Avella, helped us to reach this terminal goal. Together with their close support, we continue to strengthen and maintain our community quality of life, to keep the nuisances down, and to keep Briarwood a desirable community to live and work in. In this spirit, we wish to thank Assemblyman Weprin and Senator Avella for taking the strong legislative initiative that helped us accomplish the well-merited identification of this subway station as ours, and thanks to New York Transit and the Metropolitan Transit Authority for taking note of our appeals, and making it a reality,” said Seymour “Sy” Schwartz, president of the Briarwood Community Association.

“MTA New York City Transit works hard to be a good neighbor in all the communities we serve, and that’s what we have done in Briarwood. We’re pleased to have renamed this station to reflect what the Briarwood community prefers, and we’re just as pleased that renovations to the subway station entrance are providing a better experience for our Briarwood customers every day,” said MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco.