Rehab Begins on Cortelyou, Beverly and Parkside Stations

Updated July 8 at 11:20 a.m.

Over the weekend, the MTA began rehabilitation work on three Ditmas Park subway stations, bringing in an era of longer commutes for straphangers and fewer customers for area merchants.

The Manhattan-bound platforms of the Cortelyou, Beverly and Parkside stations have been shut down, leaving area residents with the choice of either walking to Newkirk or Church, or taking the train towards Coney Island to an express station and changing for a Manhattan-bound train there.

Either way, the work will add time to people's commutes. 

For those with strollers or other mobility concerns, take note that there are now elevators at Kings Highway, allowing weighted down moms, those on crutches and others to change to the Manhattan-bound platform without additional stairs. 

This morning the MTA told Patch that the work will include replacing and staircases and columns, fixing cracks in the concrete on platform and station walls and columns, and repainting. 

Because the work is nowhere near as extensive as the full rehabs done at Kings Highway, Ave. H and Newkirk Avenue, the closures will be much shorter than the yearlong shutdowns in 2009-10, an MTA spokeswoman said. 

Stay with Patch for updates.