WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Uprooted structural material on the edge of the subway platform at the 168th Street subway station along the A train had straphangers concerned Thursday.
"It's easy for someone to trip over it, particularly if you don't see it, if you are someone who is visually impaired, or if you have a cane," said Arlene Schulman of Inwood who noticed the hazard Wednesday night and posted a safety alert about the danger to the Facebook page of the Inwood Community Group Thursday.
Schulman said that the displaced structural material on the platforms’ yellow safety strip is on the uptown express side of the platform between the second and third stairways when facing south.
After filing a complaint with 511 early Thursday morning about the hazard, an MTA representative told Schulman that "since it is a safety issue it will be addressed immediately."
An MTA spokesman said he was unaware of the hazardous material, but said that a maintenance crew was on its way to the 168th Street station to check it out.
MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said that the “caulking material,” which is used to fill in gaps in various surfaces, was "completely fixed" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday just before the bustle of evening rush hour.
He said the uprooted building material was removed and the gap was refilled.
