[EVG file photo]
The MTA and DOT are hosting a series of joint open-house meetings to address concerns over the upcoming L-train shutdown.
There's a meeting for residents in this area tomorrow (Wednesday!) night from 5-8 at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Per the MTA:
The open houses ... 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. MTA personnel will preview some of the measures the organization will take to help move the roughly 225,000 customers who go through the tunnel each weekday, while NYC DOT will discuss its proposed street improvements and treatments during the tunnel repairs.
The shutdown of the L — between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue to repair the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel — is expected to last 15 months with a start date of April 2019.
MTA and DOT outlined plans for life without the L train last month. Revisit that post here.
I’m starting to believe that this was a big mistake to shut it all down instead of doing the partial L train shutdown over a longer period of time, because 1) the amount of disruption during the renovation will be much more severe, and 2) because the MTA never does anything on time or on budget. If this project is anything like the 2nd Avenue subway, exsecially the expansion of the 1st Avenue station, the shutdown will be more like 2 or 3 years long. I’m just waiting for the MTA to come out in 2020 and claim they didnt know there was so much water under that part of 14th Street and that they will need another year or two to finish up.
ReplyDeleteThe Montague Tube was totally shut down for repairs and it was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
ReplyDeleteA full shut down is certainly more of a disruption but a partial shutdown is likely more to have construction delays and cost overruns.
I hope the “Tech Hub’s” first incubator project is a proof of concept to fix the antiquated subway system and their three hour train rides in from Brooklyn.
ReplyDeleteI think this is going to turn into a huge, drawn-out boondoggle that will ruin the ability to get crosstown on 14th Street permanently. The city is going to use this (or anything!) as an excuse to wreck 14th Street.
ReplyDeleteWhenever NYC has a "new idea" for something, they should try it out on Park Avenue or somewhere on the upper east side where the rich and/or the powerful live - and THEN let's see what a bright idea it is.
It's all about drama BS!
ReplyDelete"they should try it out on Park Avenue or somewhere on the upper east side where the rich and/or the powerful live"
ReplyDeletewell i don't know where you've been but they had 2nd Ave in Yorkville torn up for the better part of the last decade
There is no way the MTA is going to expand the 1st Avenue L train station and not run into some problem underground that causes a major delay. When they installed the elevators on the 23rd St 6 train station the project dragged on for years. They can’t even keep the escalators at Union Square operational. Let’s hope they finish this on time but their track record is nothing to brag about.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, given the unscrupulous reputation of the MTA, I agree with some of the other commenters. I foresee at least three, if not four years until the repairs are complete. Perhaps even five. This is just a reality many of us are going to have to face. It took years for them to repair the R and W lines, even after they claimed it would take a year or so. Friends who gripe about the MTA often ponder where the money goes with the price hikes? They wonder why a city as massive and large as NYC has so many problems and dilemmas. I always shrug my shoulders. Beats the shit out of me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a bunch of true cynical New Yorkers posting here, love it.
ReplyDelete@9:07pm: Maybe you can't differentiate, but very rich people live on Park Avenue between 60th-96th Streets, very rich people live on 5th Avenue between 65th-86th Streets; former Mayor Bloomberg lives on East 79th near Park Avenue in a double-townhouse, etc. - but I'm *sure* that the stretch of 2nd Avenue where they put in the subway stations is NOT known for being populated by very rich people!
ReplyDeleteWhere does the money from the price hikes go, you ask? The MTA is one of the largest land and building owners in NYC. That's where the money goes. It doesn't go to improve the system. Just minor patches to the system when they have to. The rest of the money goes to line the big boss's pockets.
ReplyDeleteSame with NYC "Worker's compensation" money. More money goes into the system than anywhere else in the country. AND the system has the lowest payout (claims) rate in the nation. Where does this money go? Same place.
NYC people are being fleeced.
I remember when there was a major fire at W 4th Street and the MTA said the C train would be down for 5 YEARS. It was up and running in two days. So...there is always hope?
ReplyDeleteIf you want a small taste of what's to come, check out the MTA construction site on 14th and B. For 5 months, it's been non-stop noise, with sometimes 5 trucks beeping simultaneously, as well as the usual sawing, drilling, jackhammers, etc. Why does a truck backing up or moving need to be heard 3 blocks away? No noise mitigation plan. No answer on telephone number posted for complaints. No help from foreman on site. A big part of the noise problem could be solved very easily and cheaply by installing broadband alarms on the trucks. London now requires these on construction sites. They are as safe as the loud beeping alarms, but can't be heard far away. Such a quality of life issue; wish a local official would pick up this issue.
ReplyDeleteBTW- the need to redo the tunnel was due ultimately by climate change. So, why was the first act by the MTA to buy 200 of the most polluting diesel buses in anticipation of the increased need during repair time. That right, 200 of the most polluting buses will be running non-stop through your neighborhood.
Not that I love the MTA, far from it, but in response to Anon. 1:23 AM posting "They can’t even keep the escalators at Union Square operational", it's actually the owners of Zeckendorf Towers who are responsible for those rarely functioning disasters. Next time you go down them, or more likely, the stairs, look up and you'll see a little plaque with a phone number to call if there are escalator issues. I call that number very very frequently...
ReplyDeleteAt 12:32 PM, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteI think this is going to turn into a huge, drawn-out boondoggle that will ruin the ability to get crosstown on 14th Street (in a private automobile) permanently. The city is going to use this (or anything!) as an excuse to wreck 14th Street (for drivers).
There, fixed it.