Showing posts with label L train. Show all posts
Showing posts with label L train. Show all posts

Thursday, December 20, 2018

City continues 14th Street prep work ahead of the L-train closure


[14th Street at 4th Avenue looking east yesterday]

In recent weeks, I've noted how the city continues to prep 14th Street for its expanded role during the 15-month L-train closure next spring, including the markings for the Select Bus Service (SBS) lane between First Avenue and Third Avenue and the arrival of the dedicated bike lanes on 12th Street and 13th Street.

As previously reported, 14th Street will serve as a (mostly) car free busway for displaced subway commuters.

In an article posted Tuesday, Crain's (HT KT!) pointed out the latest alteration: red traffic lanes at 14th Street intersections between Third Avenue and Ninth Avenue, "which will signal that motorists must exit."

To Crain's:

By April, white Bus Only wording will be stenciled in the black boxes to make the message clear. Similar restricted lanes are planned for Delancey Street between the Williamsburg Bridge and the Bowery.

You can kind of see the full effect in this dodging-traffic shot...



And next?

Also to come are pedestrian walkways on 14th Street to relieve jammed sidewalks, as well as designated curbside loading zones for businesses.

This is what that plan (unveiled this past summer) looks like via the city...



Meanwhile, here's (part of) the area in front of the future tech hub, which will be a construction zone starting in the first quarter of 2019 ... likely making 14th Street even more stressed...



Back to Crain's:

The storm-related repairs to the East River crossing could drive 275,000 daily underground commuters to ground level at 14th Street, where the city plans to direct cars from the thoroughfare and run 80 buses per hour.

This SBS service launches on Sunday, April 21.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Prepping for the new protected bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets

Bike lane line work continues on 12th Street

1st signs of the 14th Street SBS lane

More signs of the 14th Street SBS lanes

Monday, November 26, 2018

There's improved pedestrian access for businesses along the L-train construction corridor


[EVG photo from September]

There is improved pedestrian access now on the south side of 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, the main construction zone leading up to, and during, the L-train rehab.

As the above photo from September shows, access to the five businesses west of Avenue A was limited to two feet-plus of unappealing sidewalk space that came to a dead end outside the Domino's Pizza outpost.

Meanwhile, most of the pedestrian traffic was diverted to the temporary sidewalk passage set up between the active construction site for creating entrances and exits for the L train at Avenue A and the two lanes of 14th Street.


[EVG photo from June]

The past week, however, the sidewalk situation was reconfigured on the south side of 14th Street... where pedestrians can now walk along the storefronts and away from traffic...



The sidewalk is now a little wider ...



... and you can still walk on it to First Avenue and beyond...





A positive step, though it may be too late — five businesses have already closed between Avenue A and First Avenue... while other retailers and restaurants report a decrease in revenue.

Per an article from The Villager on Nov. 15:

The employees at the Red Apple Barbershop, west of the string of shuttered shops, fear the 10-year-old shop could be next.

“Most of the foot traffic is on the road,” said Michael Vostok, the shop’s manager. The street pattern for construction sends passersby into a pathway in the streets and makes it difficult for Stuyvesant Town residents — critical clientele for the retailers — to both see and reach the shop.

The work here on this part of 14th Street started in July 2017 ahead of the L-train closure between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue that starts on April 27, 2019.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Renderings reveal the MTA's plans for the Avenue A L station; why does everyone look so happy?

A look at the new L-train renderings along 14th Street

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Report: NYU student dies jumping in front of L train at 1st Avenue


[Photo on 1st Avenue today by EVG reader Laura]

More information is now available about the emergency response early this afternoon at the L train station on First Avenue and 14th Street.

According to the Post, an 18-year-old NYU student was killed when he jumped in front of an oncoming train around 12:05 p.m.

The student, whose identity was not released, died at the scene, per the Post.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Town Hall provides a few more details on the 24/7 construction at 14th and A


[EVG photo from last month]

Last night, a handful of local elected officials along with reps from the MTA and the city gathered at Middle Collegiate Church on Second Avenue for an L-train shutdown Town Hall.

Aaron Gordon has a nice recap at Gothamist today. Here's an excerpt specifically related to my post yesterday about 14th Street and Avenue A serving as the main staging area for the upgrades to the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel:

Multiple residents voiced a belief that asbestos was being improperly disposed of in dumpsters near their apartments, something New York City Transit president Andy Byford assured them isn’t happening. He promised to post something on the MTA website detailing exactly what materials are being disposed of and that asbestos is not one of them, which requires completely separate disposal teams and procedures due to its high toxicity. “If you all really think that,” he said, “then I think we owe it to you to get something up on the website to get your mind at rest.”

Several citizens also expressed concern about the “considerable truck traffic,” as one put it, that has already inundated the neighborhood. Another said she’s experiencing more headaches and sore throats than usual and cannot open windows out of fear construction dust would enter her apartment. Byford pointed out they simply cannot do the work without trucks bringing materials in and out through the East Village shafts — which will become elevators into the 1st Ave L station after the shutdown is complete — but did offer that at the peak of construction, 30 trucks’ worth of debris will come out of the tunnel per day and 10 will be going in with new material.


[EVG photo from last month]

Byford also said that although the work inside the tunnel will be 24/7 to try and wrap up the project as quickly as possible, surface-level construction will not be all hours of the day.

Read the full Gothamist post here.

Meanwhile, as Streetsblog reports, Community Board 6 members said that "the current plan for next year’s L-train shutdown will fall considerable short of what will be needed to efficiently move the 400,000 daily commuters who will be affected." This link goes to the Streetsblog piece.

Monday, September 17, 2018

Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction



To date, the majority of articles about the upcoming L-train repairs have focused on the transportation alternatives while the MTA upgrades the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel.

The 15-month L-train shutdown between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue begins in April 2019.

The MTA outlined the extensive work that will take place in a news release last year:

Demolition and reconstruction of approximately 60,000 linear feet of duct banks, 14,400 linear feet of track and track bed, 270,000 linear feet of cable ducts and associated cables, repair of 7,000 linear feet of concrete lining, and the installation of tunnel lighting and fire systems. The tunnel will be also be protected from future storms with resiliency measures including construction of resilient cables and ducts and the installation of a new discharge line.

Prior to the tunnel closure, extensive station work will be performed that will increase operational efficiency and improve accessibility and circulation. Station improvements at the 1 Av and Bedford Av L Subway stations will include new stairways, and four accessibility-compliant elevators and other work to improve customer flow.

Preliminary work started in the summer of 2017 on building new entrances at Avenue A and a new power station at Avenue B. Since then, 14th Street between First Avenue east to Avenue B has been an active construction zone with a variety of trucks, drill rigs, pile drivers, compressors and generators.


[Reader-submitted photo]

Meanwhile, 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue is down to one lane of traffic in each direction.



This is a large — and noisy — project that has already taken its toll on nearby residents and businesses.



However, as some 14th Street residents recently discovered, as bad as it has been the past year, the construction is going to get a whole lot worse. A group of residents living at 542 E. 14th St. at Avenue B said that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main access point for the 24/7 delivery of new Canarsie Tunnel infrastructure as well as the portal for removing debris from the tube.

BoweryBoogie first reported on this development on Aug. 29. A resident speaking on behalf of tenants at No. 542 provided an update after a second meeting with officials on the construction on Sept. 6

Describe what you have been through with the L-train work to date.

Our first inkling that something was up was on Aug. 5, 2017 (a Saturday), when workers showed up and quietly dismantled the bus stop at the corner of 14th Street and Avenue B. There was no community announcement about a construction job about to begin at that location, no posted announcement about the bus stop removal.

Soon after, workers arrived and began chain-sawing down the 70-year-old trees across from our building.

Since that time, the project and site have been growing and growing — from Avenue B to First Avenue, on both the north and south sides of the street. The noise and pollution have made our building untenable. For almost a year, we've had on our block (14th between A and B) over 30 diesel machines (generators, four-story drills, compressors, bulldozers, backhoes, etc.) running six days a week, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.


[Reader-submitted photo]

The noise has been astounding. We've regularly made recordings of decibel readings in the high 90s to 120 on many of the machines — way above DEP allowable levels. We've also reported diesel run off into the streets and gutters.


[Reader-submitted photo]

For as horrific as the scope of the project has been, it has continued to get worse in every respect.

While all this has been going on, a crucial, game-changing piece of paper was tacked up at the site on the corner of 14th and A: A permit issued by DEP to the MTA approving 24/7 work hours beginning May 2018 for a full year. Mr. Nirva Paul at the DEP signed off on this permit (below) without the DEP having responded to a single one of our scores of complaints, and with no community interaction whatsoever.



In our first meeting — not a publicly announced, town-hall meeting, but one organized for residents of 542 E. 14th St. with the MTA and Judlau Contracting, Inc. by Assemblymember Harvey Epstein — MTA and Judlau finally admitted ... that their diesel emissions are not being monitored, and their noise levels are not being monitored. We were told in that first meeting that they weren't monitoring diesel emissions because a) they weren't required to, and b) there is so much diesel in the air already, there's no point in monitoring it.

The refrain from the MTA for the Carnarsie Tunnel Project has always been a firm, frantic — "This has to be done!" As if we're in an emergency state of repair. This is a bullying technique of they use to cover their bad planning.

The fact is, Hurricane Sandy happened in 2012 and they've had six years to figure out the best way to do this work with minimal community impact. They are a state agency, and appear to be clueless about our how our neighborhood functions.

This work has already greatly affected the businesses on 14th Street between B and First Avenue. Several have already gone out of business due to severely limited access to their storefronts. Several (west of Avenue A) are suffering because their customer access now is only 28" of sidewalk space, not big enough for a wheelchair in spots.



What we learned in that first meeting was the MTA's plan to make that very spot, at 14th and A, the sole entry and exit point for all old tunnel materials and all new tunnel materials. Heretofore, they had told the public that the work on that corner was for the new stairways and elevator for the station.

The work that's being done — long ahead of the stairways and elevator — is to create entry and exit points for a constant (24/7) flow of yet more diesel trucks removing debris that contains asbestos and silica dust (you can learn about that on the MTA's very own YouTube channel).

Residents said that they have filed complaints with the MTA and the DEP. What has been their response?

We — at least five of us in our building alone — have made a steady flow of very specific, documented complaints about violations to the MTA and the DEP about noise, diesel pollution and traffic congestion. We've had zero response from either agency. The only responses we’ve been able to obtain have been verbally, during the two meetings we’ve had so far with them and the Assemblymember.

You said that MTA reps confirmed on Sept. 6 that the area between Avenue A and First Avenue will be the main staging area — 24/7 — during the reconstruction. Before this, were you aware of any public meetings to let community members know about the work?

There were public meetings, but none of them addressed what you mention, which is what leaked, we believe for the first time, during our first meeting with the MTA, Judlau and Assemblymember Epstein. You can check the records on that — no publicly released information mentioned the staging area or the 24/7 work.

The only work mentioned was installation of the underground power station at Avenue B, and the construction of the elevator and stairways down to the new station on either side of Avenue A. We know of no place this “main staging area” information was made public before now; if it was, it certainly is not known at all in the affected area.





What is your biggest concern about the work?

The fact that the MTA’s current plan is to truck out hundreds of tons of tunnel debris. Much of this debris is known to be contaminated with silica dust and asbestos as acknowledged by the MTA on its YouTube site.



The Avenue A access point 50 feet from a school and church. This debris will be carted out 24/7 for a year and a half, under tight deadlines and facing and with contractors facing stiff penalities for each day the deadline passes, through the streets of the East Village and Stuy Town.

On the delivery end, the MTA will be commandeering the service/access roads of Stuytown to deliver all the tunnel materials, again 24/7. With a very conservative estimate of 30 trucks a day, that is over 13,000 truck deliveries, with all the pollution, idling, beeping and noise coming into what will be some of the most heavily-trafficked blocks and street in the city.

The fact that we’re facing two years of diesel trucks lined up and idling, coming and going round the clock, in an already heavily congested area.

The fact that the neighborhood will very likely to become a parking area for idling diesel trucks, 24/7. This alone will create conditions even more untenable than those we’re already facing.

Why is this being done undercover, in such a shady fashion? The only answer to that is they know community response will be outrage once people have a chance to fully grasp what’s in store. Keeping it secret will allow them to get far enough into the project that there will, arguably, be no turning back. But the nightmare of the plan (and the congestion, not to mention the pollution), combined with their plan to use 14th Street for a substantially increased number of buses round the clock, will have a devastating effect on the area.

Now that we know the plan, we’re calling on all public officials for our district to come out against the plan, and for the Mayor and the Governor to put a moratorium on work until an independent auditor can be brought in to assess the impact of this plan on the community’s health and well-being, and to engage the community in this plan.



-----

Debris removal from this entry point on 14th Street is likely among the topics to be discussed this evening during a Town Hall on the L tunnel reconstruction project. The event takes place at Middle Collegiate Church, 112 Second Ave. between Sixth Street and Seventh Street from 6:30-8:30 p.m.



You can find more info on the L-train reconstruction via this MTA microsite.

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Trees coming down for L train expansion on 14th Street

Renderings reveal the MTA's plans for the Avenue A L station; why does everyone look so happy?

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Report: 14th Street busway debuts in January to prep for the upcoming L-train stoppage


[Not really an M14 bus]

The city and MTA have decided to get an early start on converting 14th Street into a bus-only corridor ... beginning on Jan. 6 — three-plus months ahead of L-mageddon time.

City officials said that they need the extra months to test M14 SBS service and make adjustments before the shutdown begins.

amNY first had the story:

To ensure buses are up to the task of absorbing some of that crowd, the city and MTA plan to institute bus-only restrictions on 14th Street between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week. The restrictions will be in place between Ninth and Third avenues eastbound, and Third and Eighth avenues westbound. A DOT spokeswoman said the city is hashing out “specific access points” for local traffic and trucks.

The SBS route will initially make five stops between First Avenue and Tenth Avenue. The SBS route will complement existing M14A and M14D service so that buses will arrive every two minutes during morning and evening rush hours. Combined, the local and SBS service is expected to handle about 84,000 riders per day.

The shutdown of the L — between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue to repair the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel — is expected to last 15 months.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Cars to give way to a bus-only corridor most hours on 14th Street during the L-train shutdown

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Citi Bike will expand ahead of L-mageddon time


Citi Bike will add more than 1,200 new bikes and 2,500 docking stations next spring ahead of the L-train shutdown.

Here are more details about the increased Citi Bike presence via a news release from the Mayor's office:

More Citi Bikes, denser coverage: In Citi Bike’s busiest areas, cycling is expected to expand dramatically with the L train’s disruption next year. The first stage of the City’s plan to increase capacity in Citi Bike’s existing service area will focus in Manhattan between Canal Street and 59th Street and the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, where Citi Bike will offer denser coverage with 2,500 new docks and 1,250 new bicycles.

The process of providing denser coverage is known as “infill,” and will involve both new docking stations and enlarging current stations. DOT and Citi Bike will coordinate a robust community engagement process. working closely with local elected officials, community groups as well as the affected community boards – Brooklyn Community Board 1 and Manhattan Community Boards 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

And...

More Citi Bike valet stations: In anticipation of the L train disruption, Citi Bike expects to add as many as ten new valet stations, located in areas heavily affected by the L train disruption, including Williamsburg, the Lower East Side, along the 14th Street corridor and adjacent to East River ferry stops in both Brooklyn and Manhattan.

And...

Citi Bike pedal-assist “Shuttle Service”: Citi Bike announced that it would add a temporary, additional 1,000 pedal-assist bicycle “Shuttle Service” to its fleet during the L train closure, which would designate four conveniently-located pedal-assist docking stations — two in Williamsburg and two in lower Manhattan for their exclusive use. “Shuttle Service” bicycles could only be rented and returned to these stations.

During a City Council hearing yesterday, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said alternative subway routes would carry 70 percent to 80 percent of the displaced riders entering Manhattan, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Fifteen percent of commuters are expected to use buses, 5 percent additional ferry service and 3 percent to 5 percent bikes, per Trottenberg.

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.

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Cars to give way to a bus-only corridor most hours on 14th Street during the L-train shutdown



The fate of 14th Street during the L-train shutdown starting next April has apparently been decided.

As the Daily News first reported, the city will limit car traffic on 14th Street from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

The changes affect 14th Street from Ninth Avenue to Third Avenue eastbound and Third Avenue to Eighth Avenue westbound.

A few other details:

The city Department of Transportation ... will also change its plans for a bike lane. There will now be two one-way bike paths on 12th and 13th Sts., instead of a single two-way path on 13th St., officials said, so fewer parking spots on 13th St. will be eliminated. A DOT official said that the new design with two bike lanes would handle the higher cyclist traffic better, with easier pick up and drop-offs on the south curbs.

And...

Manhattan residents will also be able to use 14th St. for pickups and dropoffs only.

You can read more about this at Gothamist.

On Wednesday afternoon, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez will co-host a public oversight hearing to evaluate the latest mitigation plans for L-mageddon.

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.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Oversight hearing on L train shutdown this Wednesday



Via the EVG inbox...

On Wednesday, New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Transportation Committee Chair Ydanis Rodriguez will be co-hosting a public oversight hearing to evaluate the latest mitigation plans for the 2019 L train tunnel closure.

If you're one of the hundreds of thousands New Yorkers who will be impacted when the MTA shuts down the L train between Manhattan and Brooklyn for 15 months for repairs beginning in April 2019, we invite you to attend this important hearing.

The hearing will begin at 1 p.m. in the Jacob Burns Moot Court Room of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Brookdale Center, located at 55 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street). We expect it to go into the early evening depending on the number of people who show up to testify.

If you plan on attending, we encourage you to RSVP [here] to help us know how many people we should anticipate.

Public testimony will begin immediately following the testimony of any invited experts and will generally be limited to two minutes per person to allow as many residents as possible to present their views.

For those planning to testify in person, please be sure to register with the sergeant-at-arms at the Center as soon as you arrive at the hearing.

If you can't make it to the hearing but would still like to make your voice heard, you can also submit written testimony to the City Council by emailing correspondence@council.nyc.gov with the subject line: L TRAIN SHUTDOWN TESTIMONY. Written testimony will be accepted until the close of business (6 p.m.) on Friday, June 29.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Another chance to hear about the L-train shutdown



The MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) are hosting two more town halls this month to discuss the upcoming L-train shutdown.

Here's the deal via 6sqft:

NYC Transit President Andy Byford, NYCDOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and other agency representatives will explain alternate transit options, address questions and reveal how the agency plans to help get the 225,000 daily weekday customers – 50,000 in Manhattan alone – to their destinations during the service interruption that will cut all L train service between Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan for 15 months beginning in April of 2019.

NYCDOT will discuss proposed changes like HOV restrictions on the Williamsburg Bridge, the addition of Select Bus Service to 14th Street, and additional protected bike lanes and bus lanes to offset the inconvenience of the missing subway.

The Manhattan meeting is tomorrow night from 6:30-8:30 (doors open at 5:30) at The Auditorium (at The New School) at 66 W. 12th St. between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

ICYMI: Groups file lawsuit ahead of the L-train shutdown



Always so much drama with the L train. A group of Manhattan-based coalitions and co-ops have sued the MTA and other state and federal agencies over the impending L-train shutdown. (Just one year away!)

Here's Town & Village on the suit, which was filed Tuesday:

The suit accuses the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the city Department of Transportation and the Federal Transportation Administration of ignoring the needs of disabled riders along the L line, and disregarding the communities who’ll be dealing with constant congestion from diesel-spewing buses.

According to the attorney representing the groups, dubbed “the 14th Street Coalition,” Arthur Schwartz, the FTA “has failed to enforce compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) even though the nearly $1 billion project is being federally funded.” The MTA and DOT meanwhile, he said have failed to prepare a required Environmental Impact Statement, which he said would have compelled the agencies to be more responsive to community input.

Per NBC 4:

MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein said in a statement that the agency does not comment on pending litigation, but added that “the repairs to the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel are desperately needed to ensure the tunnel’s structural integrity so we can continue to provide safe and reliable subway service to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who depend on the L train every day.”

Read more on this at The New York Times and Curbed.

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.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Reminders: Hear about the L-train shutdown tonight


[Via the New York Transit Museum Store]

In case you missed this from last week...

Please attend the CB3 Feb. 13 Transportation Committee meeting regarding the coming L Train shutdown in April 2019. MTA and DOT representatives will present the latest plans and answer your questions.

The Transportation Committee will vote on a resolution to send your concerns to the MTA and DOT and ask for plans to address these concerns.

We need your help identify possible impacts and problems that need to be addressed.

Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Grace Church School, 46 Cooper Square (at 6th Street/the Bowery)

Meanwhile! Speaking of the L... the NYPD is looking for this guy...

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Another opportunity to talk about the L-train shutdown


[EVG file photo]

Via the EVG inbox...

Please attend the CB3 Feb. 13 Transportation Committee meeting regarding the coming L Train shutdown in April 2019. MTA and DOT representatives will present the latest plans and answer your questions.

The Transportation Committee will vote on a resolution to send your concerns to the MTA and DOT and ask for plans to address these concerns.

We need your help identify possible impacts and problems that need to be addressed.

Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Grace Church School, 46 Cooper Square (at 6th Street/the Bowery)

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.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Your chance to hear more about the L train shutdown tomorrow night at the 14th Street Y


[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.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

MTA, DOT outline plans for life without the L train


[Image Monday via @katebirmingham2]

During the upcoming L train shutdown, parts of 14th Street will become car free while 13th Street will get the city's first two-way protected crosstown bike lane, officials announced yesterday.

The MTA and the city’s Department of Transportation unveiled the long-awaited plans on how to accommodate the estimated 225,000 people who use the L on a daily basis.


Here's more from NBC 4:

• 14th Street closing to cars from Third Avenue to Ninth Avenue eastbound, and Third Avenue to Eighth Avenue westbound, to become a "busway" with rushphour restriction. Bus lanes and Select Bus Service will be added to that core of 14th Street in the next year, which will bring sidewalk expansion and tens of thousands of square feet in new pedestrian space.

"No street will be more affected by the L train disruption than 14th Street, and changes expanding access to pedestrians, bus riders, and cyclists will play a major role in moving L train riders quickly and efficiently," the DOT says.

• A bikeway running along 13th Street to keep cyclists out of the buses' way. Daily cycling volume is expected to double when the L train closes in Manhattan, so the DOT will add Manhattan's first two-way protected crosstown bike lane to 13th Street.

The DOT will also create brand new pedestrian space on Union Square West from 14th Street to 15th Street and 16th Street to 17th Street and a pedestrianized street that features a new bike parking hub on University Place from 13th Street to 14th Streets.

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.

Previously

---

More sources: NBC 4 ... the Post ... Curbed ... 2nd Ave. Sagas... MTA website...

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

NYPD gives the all clear after L train bomb scare


[Photo via @natesten]

Reports of a suspicious package inside the L train station at 14th Street and First Avenue snarled rush-hour traffic this early evening.

The NYPD blocked off 14th Street at Second Avenue to Avenue A ... the L train was suspended between Eighth Avenue and Bedford Avenue...


Patch reported that several nearby buildings were also evacuated as a precaution.

The NYPD gave the all clear about 5:30 p.m. ...


H/T Shawn Chittle

Monday, August 14, 2017

[Updated] Trees coming down for L train expansion on 14th Street



As previously reported, preliminary work is underway along 14th Street for building new entrances at Avenue A and an underground power station at Avenue B for the L train.

And to make way for all this, some trees need to come down. On Friday, workers removed several trees (I counted three barrels on top of stumps) on the cobblestone median along 14th Street/the Stuy Town service road between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Several EVG readers shared emails about this taking place.

Wrote one: "I am appalled and sickened to see [the trees] being cut down and fed through a chipper. Did anyone know that this was going to occur? I am sick at heart and will never see full grown trees on this block for the rest of my life. Incredible."

And more will be coming down between Avenue A and Avenue B... X marks the doomed trees...



These six trees have Xs on them...



... and the trees that will remain ...





Updated 8/15
Several readers noted that the six trees came down yesterday...





Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Renderings reveal the MTA's plans for the Avenue A L station; why does everyone look so happy?



You may have noticed the MTA signage that arrived last week along 14th Street at Avenue A...



...announcing [the obvious] that preliminary work is underway for building new entrances at Avenue A and a new power station at Avenue B for the L train.

The renderings provide a sneak preview of what's in store here...







... and a closer look at the rendering scalies... a happy-looking lot who must not think that they'll be experiencing delays due to, say, signal and switch problems or track fires...









And on 14th Street at Avenue B... presumably the new power station for the L will be going in along here somewhere...





As you likely know, this work is starting ahead of the L train shutdown between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue to repair the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel. The shutdown of the L is expected to last 15 months with a start date of April 2019.



Previously