A major accessibility improvement arrived ahead of schedule at one of Harlem’s busiest transit hubs. Forte Construction Corp. and union carpenters with the New York City District Council of Carpenters completed the replacement of three elevators at the 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue subway station, finishing the project two months early and expanding access for riders traveling on the A, B, C, and D lines throughout West and Central Harlem.
Completed as part of the MTA’s ongoing ADA accessibility program, the project replaced aging hydraulic elevators and upgraded supporting infrastructure including machine rooms and elevator shafts. The new elevators improve connections between street, mezzanine, and platform levels, strengthening reliable vertical access at a station that has served the neighborhood since 1932 and welcomes tens of thousands of riders on a typical weekday.
The early completion adds to Forte’s record of transit improvements in Harlem, following previous elevator replacement and systems modernization work at the 125th Street and Lexington Avenue station in 2017 and the 145th Street station in 2019. Through coordinated planning, skilled execution, and a focus on long term performance, union contractors and carpenters improved accessibility while strengthening a station that serves as an important gateway to Central Harlem and destinations such as the Apollo Theater.
