TOD tries to increase the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport.

[12]: 5, 21 Beginning in the mid-1970s, Roosevelt Island was redeveloped to accommodate low- to mid-income housing projects.

An aerial tram route, the Roosevelt Island Tramway, was opened in May 1976 as a "temporary" connection to Manhattan.

As early as 1976, the Program for Action had been reduced to seven stations on the Archer Avenue and 63rd Street lines and was not projected to be complete for another decade.

[2][22] The opening of the subway resulted in a steep decline in Roosevelt Island Tramway ridership.

[25]: 5 [26]: 2 [27][28][29] At an April 14, 2008, news conference, Governor David Paterson announced that the MTA would power a substantial portion of the station using tidal energy generated by turbines located in the East River, which are part of the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project.

[30] This was part of a larger MTA initiative to use sustainable energy resources within the subway system.

[35][36] In October 2024, the MTA completed esthetic improvements to the station as part of its Re-New-Vation program.

[42][43][44][a] As with other stations constructed as part of the Program for Action, the Roosevelt Island station contained technologically advanced features such as air-cooling, noise insulation, CCTV monitors, public announcement systems, electronic platform signage, and escalator and elevator entrances.

[46] West of the station, there is a diamond crossover[47]: 21  and two bellmouths that curve southward toward an unbuilt portion of the Second Avenue Subway.

[49][50] The lower level, opened in 2023 as part of the East Side Access project,[51] is used by Long Island Rail Road trains.

The system was installed because of problems with pigeons entering the headhouse and leaving feathers and droppings both inside and around the building.

Previous efforts, like spiked ledges, had been ineffective in curbing the pigeon population of the area immediately next to the station.

[23] In 2008, the subway station saw about 5,900 daily riders, compared to 3,000 for the tram, which had maintained steady ridership.

[57][58] On Main Street is the Good Shepherd Church,[53] which was built in 1888 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.