Jay St-MetroTech (R) - The SubwayNut

Jay Street MetroTech was originally named Lawrence Street until December 10, 2010. On this date the new transfer stairs/escalators/elevator opened from the western end of the R train platform up to the middle of the IND station's mezzanine at Jay Street, connecting two stations that had been just a block apart since 1933. The station is a very unusual BMT station since it is located in a deep-level tunnel bore beneath downtown Brooklyn. The station has a single island platform for the two track line with bare black walls along the tracks (they probably had tiling at some point in time) and green painted columns at various inconsistent intervals. The stations only signs are on these columns and hanging black name signs, with originally the columns alternating between Lawrence Street and MetroTech, but these were all replaced in 2010 with Jay Street-MetroTech in preparation for the station’s renaming.

The original Lawrence Street station layout is two small exit areas that are at either end of a narrow mezzanine that has about four long staircases down to the island platform below. Towards the eastern end of the station is an unstaffed exit with High Exit Turnstiles (and was the first station to get a panic bar on its formerly always locked emergency exit gates in 2006 these have now been installed at all special entry gates across the subway system). This exit leads out to streetstairs at the SW and NE corners of Willoughby Street and Bridge Street, along with a staircase and elevator down to the mezzanine only (doesn’t connect to the platform elevator who’s accessible street entrance is two blocks west) inside the newly built 100 Willoughby Street building (that was built around 2016) at the SE corner that replaced a streetstair. The fully staffed exit with a small bank of turnstiles leads out to Lawrence Street at the western end of this narrow mezzanine area. Here two sets of streetstairs each lead out to the NE and SE corners of Lawrence Street and Willoughby Street. This exit area opposite the turnstiles has a very narrow escalator that is always going up, and has multiple exit only signs on it along the platform, this leads to its own exit only mezzanine with two High Exit Turnstiles, that lead to their own little staircase before meeting the two streetstairs to the SE corner of Lawrence Street and Willoughby Streets.

The new transfer to the A,C, and F has been completed at the western end of the platform. There is no connection to original Lawrence Street mezzanine and exit area that was left intact and who's entrances just say the station is for the R train. Along the platform access to the new transfers is via stairs, escalator or an ADA compliant elevator (leading out to a street elevator at the NW corner of Jay Street and Willoughby Street shared with the A, C and F trains). Coming from the east and the rest of the station platform, this consists of first an always running up escalator this leads up to an upper level passageway open to below to reach the IND mezzanine. This is followed by a staircase that has an intermediate short mezzanine and passageway before leading to the northside of the transfer passageway nearly at the exit into the IND mezzanine. Next is an always running down escalator that starts directly at the start of the new transfer passageway. Finally, an elevator at the extreme western end of the platform that lead almost directly up to the middle of the mezzanine of the IND Station, just a short walk through the upper-level landing of the mezzanine area but arriving about 10 feet back from the top of the staircase and down escalator. The transfer passageway has blue tiled walls that look modern and airy and blend it with the blue color scheme of the IND station.
Photos 1 & 2: February 17, 2004; 3-11: June 5, 2009; 12-22: July 6, 2009; 23-27: May 19, 2010; 28-31: December 28, 2010; 32 & 33: September 26, 2012; 34 & 35: November 1, 2012; 36-38: November 4, 2012; 39-42: October 29, 2013; 43-45: November 12, 2013

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Looking down the narrow island platform at Lawrence Street with its line of green columns.

A punch box at Lawrence Street for the various destinations of Brooklyn-bound trains, this photo was taken when only the Southside of the Manhattan Bridge was open.

The western end of the island platform at Lawrence Street is a construction area, where a transfer passageway is being constructed to the IND at Jay Street.

Another view down the narrow and bare island platform at Lawrence Street.

A close up of a MetroTech column sign.

Approaching the main narrow turnstile area on a short staircase where the central mezzanine level connects the station's two entrances.

Looking down the narrow mezzanine area that is IND like with lots of staircases down to the platform at Lawrence Street.

Another view down the narrow mezzanine at Lawrence Street, it has white tiled walls, a BMT trim line, and decorative directional mosaics.

A BMT mosaic for with arrows for the two different station exits to Lawrence Street, or Bridge Street.

Approaching the unstaffed exit to Bridge Street at Lawrence Street.

Approaching a plywooded off construction area that leads out to the Bridge Street exit at Lawrence Street.

Looking down the narrow island platform at Lawrence Street, as a R46 R train leaves the station.

Approaching the real construction area at the western end of the station at Lawrence Street, the transfer corridor to the IND at Jay Street.

Looking up a staircase to the narrow mezzanine level at Lawrence Street.

Approaching the main staffed fair control area to Lawrence Street with a second, intermediate staircase up to it visible

Approaching the automated exit with High Entrance/Exit Turnstiles to Bridge Street at Lawrence Street.

A mosaic on the mezzanine with an arrow pointing towards the exit To Lawrence St.

The narrow exit only escalator up from the platform at Lawrence Street.

Going up the narrow exit only escalator at Lawrence Street.

The escalators small and personal upper landing with two high exit turnstiles out to the street at Lawrence Street, guess an up escalator isn't enough to prevent people from entering the subway system.

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