Year-Long Closure Looms At Busy Washington Heights Subway Stop

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Uptown and transit officials held a press conference in Washington Heights Thursday morning just days before one of the neighborhood's busiest subway stops is set to close for a year as station elevators are replaced.

When the 168th Street 1 train station shuts down on Jan. 5, the MTA will increase subway service on the M5 bus line between the shuttered stop and nearby 157th Street to shuttle the station's 26,000 weekly riders, officials announced Thursday. West 168th Street riders will also have access to the A line platform at the station while 1 trains bypass the station.

"This subway station is a critical transfer between lines and a crucial point of access to and from this part of Washington Heights, so we all need to get the word out and take steps to keep the neighborhood moving," Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said.

Brewer also said that she'd like to see dedicated shuttles between neighborhood 1 train stations to complement the increased M5 service.

Work to replace the dilapidated elevators at the 168th Street station is expected to be complete in early 2020, officials said. The MTA will replace elevators at five different uptown subway stations on a staggered schedule.

In addition to replacing elevators, the MTA will upgrade communications, security and fire alarm systems at the stations.

"The new elevators are just the beginning of rehabilitating and updating this station along with many other subway stations. The 168th St. station plays an important role as a transportation hub with heavy usage by residents, patients and staff at NY Presbyterian Hospital, families, and students who pass through the station on a regular basis," City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said.

Construction is expected to take between 11 and 12 months at each station due to the age of the elevator equipment and years of water damage and decay and the depth of the stations, transit officials said.

The MTA first announced its plans to replace elevators at the five stations in December.

Here's the anticipated construction schedule, courtesy of the MTA:

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