181st Street 'A' Station To Get 2 New Elevators For Accessibility

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) recently announced a slew of accessibility improvements for 26 train stations across the city, including two new elevators at the 181st Street 'A' train station in Washington Heights.

The 'A' train station on 181st Street currently has three existing elevators that provide access for customers from the street level to the mezzanine level.

These elevators were recently reopened after being replaced.

However, the Washington Heights station is not currently accessible to customers with disabilities because there is no stair-free path from the mezzanine to the platforms.

The new package from the MTA is a separate project from the previous elevator replacement that will install two entirely new mezzanine-to-platform elevators at 181st Street, thus making the station fully accessible.

There is not yet a construction schedule for the new elevators, but the MTA told Patch that it does not expect the construction to require closing the station for "any appreciable length of time, if at all."

The accessibility project for the 181st Street station and the 25 other NYC stations still needs to be approved by the MTA Board this month — but it is expected to gain that approval.

“Accessibility improvements are central to the MTA and are at the top of the list of our capital program initiatives,” said MTA Acting Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, said in a news release. “Our transit system is the lynchpin of this region and has to be accessible for everyone."

207th Street 'A' Train Station Elevators

In other Upper Manhattan train news, two elevators at the 207th Street 'A' train station will be closed until Feb. 11 for "Capital Replacement," according to the MTA.

You can find out more about the closures, including travel alternatives — on the MTA's website for elevator and escalator status.