By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
INWOOD — Commuters headed for the 1 train at Dyckman Street Station had better wear comfortable shoes.
Starting Monday, all northbound 1 trains will bypass the Dyckman stop. The service changes are in effect through August 2011, authorities said.
The MTA says MetroCards will not be charged twice for any straphangers who exit at the last northbound 1 train platform before Dyckman Street and re-enter on the southbound side.
Until the platform closures went into effect, straphangers had to contend with detours from the construction only on weekends, which has led to a large amount of traffic congestion in Inwood up into the Bronx.
The closure is part of a 20-month reconstruction of the Dyckman Station and rehabilitation of all 1 train stops from 207th to 242nd streets. After work on the northbound lanes is completed, the MTA will switch track work to the other side of the tracks, closing the southbound platform from September 2011 until July 2012.
In addition to replacing the tracks and rebuilding of the platform and canopy, the scope of work at Dyckman Street includes the repair of stairs from the sidewalk into the station, restoration of the concrete station wall along Hillside Avenue, ceiling and damaged tile repairs.
The rehabilitation does not include plans to make the station accessible to disabled riders, a decision the MTA will now have to defend in court after a group of disability advocates filed a class action lawsuit regarding the decision in court last week.
