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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority held an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday to open the Jay Street-Lawrence Street transfer connector in Downtown Brooklyn – allowing riders to transfer from the A, C, and F lines at Jay Street, to the R line at Lawrence Street.

Riders previously had to leave the subway and walk a block above ground to transfer.

"This is a project that I think is delivering a fantastic benefit to the community," said MTA Chairman and chief executive officer Jay Walder. "This is the third most heavily used station in all of Brooklyn. It's correcting a mistake that was made in 1933, literally connecting together our station wasn't done back then is providing accessibility to the disabled."

The $160 million project includes a complete renovation of the Jay Street/Borough Hall Station, in addition to the new passageway.

Riders say the extension will help them avoid the sometimes treacherous winter sidewalks.

"I'm really actually happy because it’s very unsafe. They don't really salt, because these are side streets from Jay Street to Lawrence Street, the businesses don't really salt too well, so it's very dangerous,” said one rider. “So actually this is much better than going outside."

The MTA has two other transfer projects in the works around the city. The Court House Square transfer in Long Island City will allow underground connections from the Number 7 train to the E, M, and G trains starting in February.

In November, another passage will connect riders on the uptown 6 train at Bleecker Street to the Broadway-Lafayette station a block away.