University, NYC MTA Disagree About Who Should Pay for ADA-Compliant Elevator

Columbia University and the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) disagree about who should pay for an American with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant elevator at the 125^th Street subway station next to a new, 34-story Columbia University residential hall in West Harlem, Streetsblog NYC reports. The source observes the private, Ivy League school and MTA have been in a four-year “tug-of-war” over the school’s decision to finance a wider escalator but not an elevator. The NYC’s Zoning for Accessibility law, which requires subway-adjacent developers to work with the MTA on building station elevators, was enacted in October 2021 — after Columbia University’s plan to widen two street-to-mezzanine escalators on the station’s west side had already been approved. Escalator-widening work has yet to begin, and at least one local lawmaker says the university, with its US$13-billion endowment and significant tax breaks, should “not be averse to contributing financially and logistically.” An ADA-compliant elevator between the station’s mezzanine and street levels could cost up to US$100 million, according to one source.