The Jackson Heights Post Office is located at 78-02 37th Ave. Courtesy of the office of CM Krishnan
June 11, 2025 By Czarinna Andres
Construction has begun on a long-awaited accessibility ramp at the Jackson Heights Post Office, giving individuals with disabilities, families with strollers and others equal access to the facility’s main entrance for the first time in its history.
The federally operated post office, located at 78-02 37th Ave., has long posed challenges for residents with mobility needs. Until now, those unable to use the front steps were forced to navigate around delivery trucks and enter through a rear loading dock ramp—a workaround that residents and advocates have called both unsafe and undignified.
Elected officials and community partners announced the start of construction on a new ADA-compliant ramp that will lead directly to the main entrance of the building on May 30. The initiative was made possible through a collaboration between U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng, the U.S. Access Board and local advocacy led by Council Member Shekar Krishnan, who represents the district.
“For decades, the Jackson Heights Post Office has been inaccessible to New Yorkers with disabilities, families with strollers, and people who need to bring large equipment or shipments into the post office,” Krishnan said. “The new ramp will finally be constructed, righting the wrong of years of inaccessibility.”
Construction is expected to be completed by June 30, and the post office will remain open throughout the renovation period.
The ramp will be located in the garden area to the right side of the building, based on a joint determination by the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Access Board following a site review. The left-hand entrance door will also be upgraded with an automatic opening system to further enhance accessibility.
Via Google Maps
The project preserves and even expands the existing Jackson Heights Beautification Group (JHBG) garden, which has long adorned the property. Though a portion of the original garden will be removed to accommodate the ramp, the community and JHBG worked together to ensure a net gain in green space.
“With our advocacy and our partnership with JHBG, the same garden will be re-created and expanded further to the right,” Krishnan said. “So we as a community will have a new and bigger garden and a net gain of green space!”
The accessibility improvements come after years of advocacy from residents, some of whom traveled to alternate locations such as the Sunnyside Post Office, several miles away, to avoid navigating the current building’s steep stairs or crowded rear access point.
The Jackson Heights Post Office has remained largely unchanged since its construction in the early 20th century. While the building’s historic architecture is preserved, the new accessibility ramp marks a significant modernization and a long-overdue recognition of the rights of all community members to access their local public services.
“We are proud of this historic investment in accessibility while also protecting our green space,” said Krishnan.
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