Uptown Politicians Demand Elevator Fixes At 168th, 181st Street Stations

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — Several uptown politicians penned a letter to the MTA this week requesting the agency renovate the often-broken elevators at two uptown 1 train stations.

City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said that his office has been flooded with complaints about the elevator service at the 168th Street and 181st Street 1 train stations, where the lift is the riders' only form of transportation between the platform and the stations' entrances. Just this week, elevator service at 168th Street has broken down, causing trains to bypass the station, prolong commutes and strand people on the platform.

"Elevator service continues to be a serious issue at both these stations, with frequent breakdowns creating massive safety hazards of hundreds of people looking to exit the station at once, without adequate means to do so," Rodriguez stated in a letter sent to Interim Executive Director of the MTA Veronique Hakim.

The letter was co-signed by U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, State Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, State Sen. Marisol Alcantara, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Public Advocate Letitia James.

In the letter, the politicians request that the MTA invest funds into the complete renovation of all four elevators in both the 168th and 181st street stations. When asked for comment on the letter, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz told Patch, "Funding to replace the elevators is included in the current 2015-2019 capital plan."

Ortiz did not specify when the MTA would start the renovation process.

But while fixes may be on the way, the elevators continue to struggle with the current daily commute. On Friday all four elevators at the 168th Street station lost power around 10 a.m., forcing trains to bypass the station and trapping an MTA worker inside one of the elevators for just more than an hour, Ortiz told Patch.

Photo by Connie via Flickr/Creative Commons