YORKVILLE — Escalator shutdowns at the Second Avenue Subway's 86th Street Station have forced rush-hour straphangers to slog up the stairs during this week's heat wave, locals said.
On Tuesday night, four of the seven escalators at the northern entrance to the station were shut off around 6:30 p.m., locals said. On Wednesday night, two of three escalators at the southern entrance at 83rd Street were shut off, leaving just one escalator for those going down, according to Upper East Side resident Justin Shea.
"Most people hoofed it up even though it's quite a few steps, especially for 90-degree weather," he said in an email. "Some people asked those exiting to open the emergency exit gates for them so they could go back to the other side of the station which also has an elevator (the south side doesn't)."
Shea added that there were no signs posted to tell commuters the escalators were down.
On Thursday morning, one "up" and one "down" escalator were working at the southern entrance, but a center escalator had been roped off, he said.
"Why we have had so many disruptions and inconveniences with these escalators in just six months [is] unfathomable to me and doesn't bode well for how the rest of the equipment in these stations will age," Shea said. "With stations at 100 feet below street level, escalators are not really optional."
The MTA did not return a request for comment on Thursday.
