The MTA and the city’s Department of Transportation are kicking off a series of public meetings ahead of the L Train shutdown that’s scheduled to take place in the spring of 2019.
There are open houses on both sides of the Manhattan Bridge. The East Side session takes place Wed., Jan. 31 from 5-8 p.m. at the 14th Street Y, 344 East 14th St. Here’s more from a recent press release put out by the agencies:
The open houses, which will take place over four consecutive weeks beginning on January 24th, will feature representatives from MTA and NYC DOT and will provide riders with critical information about alternative travel options they can utilize during the 15 months in which the Canarsie Tunnel will be closed for major repairs beginning April 2019. MTA New York City Transit personnel will preview measures the agency will take to help move the roughly 225,000 customers who travel through the tunnel each weekday, as well as the 50,000 riders who use the train just within Manhattan. NYC DOT will discuss its proposed street improvements to support travel alternatives during the closure. Changes will include HOV restrictions on the Williamsburg Bridge, the addition of Select Bus Service to a new 14th Street busway, along with new protected bike lanes and bus lanes throughout the affected Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods.
On the Lower East Side, the L Train closure will obviously have a huge impact. The inner roadway of the Williamsburg Bridge will be reserved for cars, while the outer roadway will be restricted to buses and trucks. There’s a plan to send as many as 70 buses an hour over the bridge, jamming up an already overburdened Delancey Street. A large number of L Train passengers are expected to pile onto J M Z trains.
You can find out more about the plan and the open houses here.
