175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

The 175th Street station (also known as 175th Street–George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal) is a station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, at the intersection of 175th Street and Fort Washington Avenue, it is served by the A train at all times.

 175 Street
 "A" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
Platform view, southbound track
Station statistics
AddressWest 175th Street & Fort Washington Avenue
New York, New York
BoroughManhattan
LocaleWashington Heights
Coordinates40°50′48″N 73°56′24″W / 40.846541°N 73.940091°W / 40.846541; -73.940091
DivisionB (IND)[1]
Line   IND Eighth Avenue Line
Services   A all times (all times)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: M4, M5, M98, M100, Bx3, Bx7, Bx11, Bx13, Bx35, Bx36
Bus transport GWB Bus Station
StructureUnderground
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Other information
OpenedSeptember 10, 1932 (92 years ago) (1932-09-10)[2]
AccessibleThis station is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ADA-accessible
Opposite-
direction
transfer
Yes
Former/other names175th Street–George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal
Traffic
20232,258,838[3]Increase 5.8%
Rank147 out of 423[3]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
181st Street 168th Street
Location
175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line) is located in New York City Subway
175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)
175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line) is located in New York City
175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)
175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line) is located in New York
175th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)
Track layout

174th Street Yard
175th Street
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times

History

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New York City mayor John Francis Hylan's original plans for the Independent Subway System (IND), proposed in 1922, included building over 100 miles (160 km) of new lines and taking over nearly 100 miles (160 km) of existing lines. The lines were designed to compete with the existing underground, surface, and elevated lines operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and BMT.[4][5] On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval for the construction of the IND Eighth Avenue Line.[6] This line consisted of a corridor connecting Inwood, Manhattan, to Downtown Brooklyn, running largely under Eighth Avenue but also paralleling Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue in Lower Manhattan.[6][7] The BOT announced a list of stations on the new line in February 1928, with a station at 175th Street.[8]

The finishes at the five stations between 175th and 207th Street were 18 percent completed by May 1930.[9] By that August, the BOT reported that the Eighth Avenue Line was nearly completed and that the stations from 116th to 207th Street were 99.9 percent completed.[10] The entire line was completed by September 1931, except for the installation of turnstiles.[11] A preview event for the new subway was hosted on September 8, 1932, two days before the official opening.[12][13] The 175th Street station opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated IND's initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.[14][15]

The tiles on the station's walls were repaired in 1937.[16] In 1952, as part of an early plan for the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, officials proposed building an underpass between the 175th Street station and the planned bus terminal.[17] The elevators at the station were installed in November 1989, making the station one of the earliest to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The station was planned to be rehabilitated as part of the 2015–2019 MTA Capital Program.[18]

Station layout

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G Street level Exit/entrance
M Mezzanine Fare control, station agent
  Elevator at northeast corner of 177th Street and Fort Washington Avenue
P
Platform level
Northbound   toward Inwood–207th Street (181st Street)
Island platform  
Southbound   toward Far Rockaway–Mott Avenue, Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard or
Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street (168th Street)
 
Stone entrance on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street

The underground station has two tracks and one island platform,[19] with single green columns in the center of the platform rather than the double columns found near the platform edges at other stations. The tilework in this station is plain, and lacks the maroon-colored tile bands that are present at adjacent stations along the line.

It is linked by a tunnel to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. The tunnel, which is maintained by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is not wheelchair-accessible, as using it requires traversing a short flight of stairs between the tunnel and the station mezzanine. This tunnel is closed at night between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.[20]

The 174th Street Yard, used to store trains assigned to the C service, is adjacent to this station to the east.[19]

Exits

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A plaque unveiled in 2021 thanking Edith Prentiss for inspiring improvements in ADA accessibility

The full-time exits are at 175th Street and 177th Street. The station is fully accessible, with an elevator at the northeast corner of 177th Street, and another from the mezzanine to the platform.[21] However, as of December 2023, both elevators are closed for replacement and are scheduled to reopen in June 2024. The 177th Street exit offers a direct passageway into the basement of the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, but it includes stairs.

The ADA-accessible exits at the northwest, northeast, and southwest corners of Fort Washington Avenue and 177th Street. The northwest corner has two stairs, the southwest corner has one stair, and the northeast corner has one stair and one elevator.[21] There are also exits at the southwest and southeast corners of Fort Washington Avenue and 175th Street.[21]

There is also a closed exit at the south end of the station that leads to the southeast corner of 174th Street and Fort Washington Avenue via a passageway. The passageway was not monitored and was closed to improve security. In June 1994, the MTA Board approved a plan to permanently close the entrance, allowing the passageway to be sealed with brick-and-mortar with the street staircase slabbed over. At this point, the entrance had been closed for several years. A public meeting was held in May 1994, along with proposed station access changes at other stations.[22]


Bus service

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The station and the nearby George Washington Bridge Bus Station are served by ten local MTA Regional Bus Operations routes and various interstate bus routes.[23][24]

Route Operator North/West Terminal South/East Terminal via notes
Local Bus Routes
M4 New York City Bus The Cloisters or Fort Tryon Park Fifth Avenue/32nd Street, Koreatown Broadway and Fifth Avenue Bus only runs to the Cloisters when the museum is open; it only runs to Fort Tryon Park at all other times.
M5 New York City Bus Broadway at West 179th Street Broadway/31st Street, Garment District Riverside Drive, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway
M98 LTD New York City Bus Fort Tryon Park 68th Street/Lexington Avenue Harlem River Drive and Lexington Avenue Bus only runs during rush hours.
M100 New York City Bus West 220th Street/Broadway, Inwood West 125th Street/Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattanville Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues
Bx3 New York City Bus 238th Street station, Riverdale, Bronx West 179th Street east of Broadway University Avenue
Bx7 New York City Bus West 263rd Street/Riverdale Avenue, Riverdale, Bronx 168th Street station Broadway, Johnson Avenue, Henry Hudson Parkway
Bx11 New York City Bus West 179th Street west of Broadway Simpson Street station, Longwood, Bronx 170th Street
Bx13 New York City Bus West 179th Street west of Broadway Bronx Terminal Market (extended to Third Avenue/163rd Street, rush hours) Ogden Avenue and Yankee Stadium
Bx35 New York City Bus West 179th Street east of Broadway Simpson Street station, Longwood, Bronx 167th/169th Streets
Bx36 New York City Bus West 179th Street west of Broadway Olmstead Avenue/Seaward Avenue, Castle Hill, Bronx 174th/180th Streets
Other bus routes
George Washington Bridge Bus Station routes Various George Washington Bridge Bus Station

References

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  1. ^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "List of the 28 Stations on the New 8th Av. Line". The New York Times. September 10, 1932. p. 6. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Two Subway Routes Adopted by City". The New York Times. August 4, 1923. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Plans Now Ready to Start Subways". The New York Times. March 12, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Hylan Subway Plan Links Four Boroughs at $450,000,000 Cost". The New York Times. December 10, 1924. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  7. ^ Raskin, Joseph B. (2013). The Routes Not Taken: A Trip Through New York City's Unbuilt Subway System. New York, New York: Fordham University Press. doi:10.5422/fordham/9780823253692.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-82325-369-2.
  8. ^ "Express and Local Stations For New Eighth Avenue Line". New York Herald Tribune. February 5, 1928. p. B1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113431477.
  9. ^ "Progress is Rapid on 8th Av. Subway; Board's Engineers Report Spurt in Building Is Likely to Open the Line in July, 1930". The New York Times. May 26, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "Eighth Av. Subway Nearly Completed; Basic Construction Work From Chambers to 207th St. Done Except on Few Short Stretches". The New York Times. August 24, 1930. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  11. ^ O'Brien, John C. (September 9, 1931). "8th Ave. Line Being Rushed For Use Jan. 1: Turnstile Installation on Subway Begins Monday; Other Equipment Ready for Start of Train Service City Has Yet to Find Operating Company Transit Official on Trip, 207th to Canal Street, Inspects Finished Tube". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1331181357.
  12. ^ "Sightseers Invade New Subway When Barricade Is lifted". The New York Times. September 9, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  13. ^ "8th Av. Subway Gets First 5c. by Woman's Error: She Peers Into a Station, Hears Train, Pays for Ride, but Is Day Too Early Preparing for Tomorrow's Rush on 8th Ave. Subway". New York Herald Tribune. September 9, 1932. p. 1. ProQuest 1125436641.
  14. ^ Crowell, Paul (September 10, 1932). "Gay Midnight Crowd Rides First Trains In The New Subway: Throngs at Station an Hour Before Time, Rush Turnstiles When Chains are Dropped" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  15. ^ Sebring, Lewis B. (September 10, 1932). "Midnight Jam Opens City's New Subway: Turnstiles Click Into Action at 12:01 A. M. as Throngs Battle for Places in 'First' Trains Boy, 7, Leads Rush At 42d St. Station City at Last Hails 8th Ave. Line After 7-Year Wait; Cars Bigger, Clean Transit Commissioner Officially Opening New Subway at Midnight". New York Herald Tribune. p. 1. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1114839882.
  16. ^ "City Subway Riders Get 'Mystery Trips'; Early Morning Trains Perform Weird Manoeuvres at 168th St. to Let Tilers Work". The New York Times. June 18, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "Street Plan to Aid Traffic at Bridge; Wider Manhattan Approach to George Washington Span in New $628,000 Project". The New York Times. April 8, 1952. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Review of the A and C Lines (PDF) (Report). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 11, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "Connections - George Washington Bridge Bus Station - The Port Authority of NY & NJ". www.panynj.gov. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  21. ^ a b c "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Washington Heights" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  22. ^
  23. ^ "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  24. ^ "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
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