By Carol Tannenhauser
The stairwell leading to the 81st Street-Museum of Natural History subway station, at West 81st Street and Central Park West, is temporarily closed due to the ongoing construction of an elevator there. This comes after the eastbound crosstown bus stop was moved from the corner of CPW to Columbus Avenue.
Gregory, the safety engineer on the project, was quick to point out that, technically, “the station is still open. Only the southwest corner stairwell is closed.”
The MTA is directing people to use the subway entrance on the northwest corner of 81st and CPW, directly across the street. There is also an entrance on West 77th Street and CPW.
Paul, the construction supervisor, told the Rag that the old stairwell will be the site of the new elevator. Accessible stairs will also be added.
Will the project really take two years to complete as promised?
“It depends on what we find,” Paul answered. He pointed across the street at boulders in Central Park. “That’s what we’re taking out now,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Read why my “pre-worrying” about this project was a total waste of time — HERE.
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The construction photo is so interesting, I hope we will get updates to it as the project continues!
The boulders in Central Park and it seems now being removed were swept down to NYC during the ice age. Geologically regrettable news today .
If the Ice Age hadn’t deposited the bedrock on which NYC skyscrapers now stand, there would be no NYC now.
Thanks for keeping us updated on the progress of the elevator. It can’t happen soon enough for those of us with mobility issues.
But I’m wondering about those “accessible stairs” that Paul mentioned. Wonderful new invention or oxymoron?
I’m going to date myself here, but way back around 1960… the transverse actually exited about a half block south of 81st st. The folk who do this stuff (don’t know which group would have been running things back then) smashed up a solidly rocky hill between it and the current intersection, hence that sharp zig zag a couple of hundred feet into the park.
I was just told that the old stairwell will be the site of an escalator and now an Accessible elevator to be added.
Thanks — hope you’re right about the escalator, which does equal “accessible stairs” for at least some of the mobility-impaired. The elevator should provide access for all.
Very excited to see another elevator go in! We need so many more to make the subways accessible to all.
If the project is going to take 2 years, why does the sign say it will be completed in 9 months (Sep 2024 to June 2025)?
Technically, the eastbound crosstown bus stop was not moved from the corner of CPW to Columbus Avenue. The crosstown bus already had a stop there.