Installing mechanical closure devices at 138 St-Grand Concourse

We installed and replaced mechanical closure devices (MCDs) south of the 138 St-Grand Concourse ​​ station, at La Finca del Sur Community Garden, ensuring flood protection during major storms.

MCDs function as a watertight door, sitting beneath a grate in a vent shaft, to hold back water during flood events. The existing vent structure was deteriorated and needed to be replaced.

These MCDs have the ability to seal the ventilator grates so that the 138 St-Grand Concourse ​​ station is protected from future flood events. The devices, underneath the vent, are manually activated by subway personnel in the event of an anticipated flood condition.

Major work was finished in 2022.

This page is part of the public notification of MTA New York City Transit’s installation of mechanical closure devices (MCDs) in the ventilator structure of the 138th St-Grand Concourse station, which prevent localized water infiltration in the station in accordance with 23 CFR Part 774.17 governing the Section 4(f) de minimis impact determination.