The MTA has announced plans to close two subway stations in Washington Heights this coming January as part of an elevator replacement project.
Starting January 5, 2019, 1 trains will not stop at 168th Street while the MTA replaces four elevator cars and does other maintenance at the station.
Then starting in October 2019, the MTA will begin work at 181st Street. While the 181st Street station will initially remain open and A trains will still make stops there, the elevator entrances will not be operable.
The projects are expected to last for about a year at each station.
The 181st Street 1 train station will close from March 2021 to February 2022.
Three other stations will undergo construction repairs beginning further down the line. MTA will maintain service to those stops, but the elevators will not be operable.
They are:
- The 181st Street A train station, from October 2019 to October 2020
- The 191st Street 1 train station, from February 2020 to February 2021
- The 190th Street A train station, from November 2020 to October 2021
While the MTA initially announced all five stations would be closed during the projects, it later clarified that only two would be completely shuttered, with the others continuing service despite having no working elevators.
The agency said it will increase M5 bus service to compensate for the closures. MetroCard transfers to M3, M4 and M5 buses between 157th and 168th Streets will be free, said the MTA.
Photo: Getty Images