By Carol Tannenhauser
The curtain has parted on the new subway elevator shaft that was recently installed on West 81st Street and Central Park West, completing the steelwork phase of the project.
Longtime reader Joseph Martin tipped the Rag off to “a big visual update in the process of building the new elevator….As a big supporter of expanding transit access, I appreciate getting to see a very clear visual milestone pass for this project,” Martin wrote.
Begun in September 2024, the elevator is on schedule for completion by Christmas, 2026, Polly, an MTA engineer, told the Rag at the site. “Next comes glass,” Polly added.
The shaft arrived earlier this month by truck in the middle of the night, according to an MTA construction update. In the morning, it was lifted by a crane, swung over Central Park West, and set in place in the enormous hole that has been drilled into Manhattan’s notoriously hard metamorphic rock – all while stopping traffic for only ten minutes.
Watch the entire video of the installation here.
With the frame in place, the MTA says they’re “ready to fill in the dirt, pour concrete around it, and install the elevator itself.” The agency reiterated that, “by the end of this year, there will be a direct-to-platform elevator in the heart of the Upper West Side.”
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I am more than overjoyed that more and more elevators are coming to the NYC subway system — especially a direct-to-platform elevator at that. However, am I the only one wondering why it has taken so long ?
The quote from the MTA itself almost begs for laughter: “Begun in September 2024, the elevator is on schedule for completion by Christmas, 2026.” Did they rebuild Penn Station here? Does one elevator take over two years to install? Was there more to this job that was not evident to the naked eye?
Just for our own edification as readers, please explain what was so difficult?
I heard neighbors complained and they stopped weekend work. I don’t have a link tho.
I do IT project work. Whenever someone who doesn’t do what I do asks why something takes so long, here’s my response: How long do you think it should take? Back up your answer with a comprehensive task list and level of effort for each item. If you can’t do that, then maybe you’re not the best possible person to say that it’s taking longer than it should.
Your answer is fine, just explain your work to the public and the taxpayers. We are smarter than you think and don’t appreciate being talked down to.
The Empire State Building took 18 months
Multiple sources note the Empire State Building was built from 1930-1931 amid desperate unemployment (=abundant cheap labor, union concessions), little regulation (e.g., no OSHA, no EPA) and many construction techniques and materials banned today. There’s just no comparison to NYC circa 2026.
and five people died
Utilities, utilities, utilities – all have to move before any excavation or structural work can be done.
I agree that digging out a big chunk of Manhattan Schist is tough, but I’m old enough to remember when the 81st Central Park roadway entrance was moved from 80 and a halfish street to 81st, requiring similar rock cracking/removal, and it took a lot less time.
(If you’re taking the traverse you’ll note the sharp turns inside the park)
Any updates on elevators at 72nd & Broadway, #1,#2,#3 station ??
this has dragged on and on…..
Which subway line?
This is the C.
That elevator shaft is unreasonably tall.
Because you have a long and distinguished record of measuring the height of elevator shafts on the reasonableness scale?
Once most of it is underground, it will look a lot shorter from ground level.
They need to do the same thing at the 86th street station
They are doing it at 96th.
When is all the elevator construction in Verdi Square Park going to be completed?
Isn’t there an elevator in the 72nd street station?
Columbia to add an elevator to W 125th Street and Broadway 1 train
Love to see our subways getting more accessible!
The MTA has a weekly newsletter that’s well-written and informative, and that’s where I first saw this great picture. Sign up for it here: https://www.mta.info/contact-us/newsletters
Elevator also needed at 86th & Central Park West station, which many residents use.
Know what station is in DESPERATE NEED of an elevator? It’s the Delancy Street/Essex Street station on the IND “F” train and the BMT “J”/“M” trains. Those stairs are treacherous especially if an individual is carrying a baby stroller or heavy equipment.
Yes, that’s probably why most people carrying heavy equipment try to avoid that station Treacherous indeed.