By Carol Tannenhauser
In case you’re wondering whether Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pause of congestion pricing will delay the construction of an elevator at the 81st Street-Museum of Natural History subway station on the southwest corner of West 81st Street and Central Park West, the answer is “no,” according to a worker who was sitting in the black truck you see above.
“Work will begin in a few weeks,” he told the Rag on Friday. The other worker [in orange] is “surveying,” he confirmed.
It sounds like the 81st-Street station elevator, as well as one proceeding at another UWS station on West 96th Street, slipped under the wire.
“Construction timetables for those projects were announced in May and will not be affected by the pause in congestion pricing,” according to Aaron Donovan, deputy communications director at the MTA.
While those projects will proceed, the Rag explained in an earlier article, American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility upgrades, including elevators, are now deferred at 23 of the city’s subway stations. Currently, 151 out of 472 NYC subway stations — about one third — are accessible, according to the MTA.
We will keep you pictorially posted about progress on this project.
Disabilities advocate and Upper West Sider Sasha Blair-Goldensohn had this to say when he learned the 81st Street elevator was proceeding: “Wonderful! I’ll take it.”
And Columbia is going to put escalators at the 125th St station. (Station not big enough for elevators.)
They already exist there.
And wheel chairs? Will these escalators be moving ramps? Or will wheelchair users get a running start?
FYI –
They start construction on Monday for the new elevator.
Oh….. I know that black Labrador Retriever… That’s “Wiggles” from West 79Th St.,!
🐕🦺🐾🐾
Why don’t we have covered escalators with wider steps for wheelchairs instead. Elevators have been dirty and stinky. Vagrants had been using it as trashcans and as urinals. Besides, if Covid rears its ugly head again, it is tight and enclosed.
Good that two stations are getting elevators. But what about the majority that don’t have them, or are so often out of commission. I miss taking the subway since I cannot negotiate the stairs any longer as am using a walker and an escalator also does not work with a walker. This city needs to get its act together for those of us wanting to use public transportation but are unable to and buses have become impossible due to overcrowding, people and walkers.