New Elevators, Ramp Unveiled At 181st Street Subway Station: MTA

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY - Accessibility improvements at Washington Heights’ 181 Street A subway station are completed, MTA officials said last week.

The improvements include two new elevators to transport straphangers from the lower mezzanine to the platform, and a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramp.

“Due to the unique geography of Washington Heights, this station has had elevators for as long as I can remember – but never an accessible path to actually get onto the train,” MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo said in a statement. “For wheelchair users and others who need step-free access, the journey stopped at the mezzanine. That changes today, with two new elevators making train service at this station fully accessible, a big win for Washington Heights and a big win for accessibility.”

The new elevators include a new fire alarm system, smoke and heat detectors and cameras inside the elevator cabs, plus an emergency two-way communication system. The system gives riders the ability to communicate with dispatchers in the event of an emergency via voice communications or visually by answering on-screen questions for riders with hearing or speech disabilities.

New mosaic artworks by artist Carmen Lizardo titled Great Waves of Immigration are located near the newly installed elevators and above the two staircases that lead to the northbound and southbound platforms.

The upgrades were funded by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as part of an ADA-improvement package of several subway stations: six stations will be made newly ADA accessible, including the Court Square G and 8 Ave N stations, which opened in July, and elevators will be replaced at two stations, including Flushing Ave on the J/M trains, which was completed in October.

The 2020-2024 MTA Capital Plan includes investment of $5.2 billion to make 67 total subway stations ADA accessible, more than any capital plan in the MTA’s history and more than the last three capital plans combined, MTA officials said.

24 ADA stations have been completed since 2020, which is double the number of ADA stations completed in the previous six years.

“Newly accessible stations like 181 St are the fruits of our efforts to execute projects better, faster, and cheaper through innovative delivery methods like project bundling,” said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “We are on track to complete this particular eight-station package of ADA upgrades, which will greatly improve accessibility not just in Upper Manhattan but throughout our transit system.”

“The MTA system includes many architectural gems. This station – which is listed on the US Register of Historic Places – is one of them,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement. “It dates back to 1932, and finally, we’re bringing it into the 21st century with two brand new elevators.”