The first phase of the L train project has been completed ahead of schedule, bringing the end date of the entire Canarsie Tunnel rehabilitation up to April 2020, Gov. Cuomo announced Sunday. That’s about three months earlier than expected.
The first phase of the tunnel rehabilitation was completed in just five months, and was on-budget.
“Today we saw up close what happens when you abandon the old ways of doing things and think outside the box: You get the work done better, faster and cheaper,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement. “And in this case, you get a better and safer tunnel than before.”
Repairs to the L train tunnel include a new cable system and fire-resistant cables, a new wall structure made with an industrial fiber-reinforced polymer, new tracks, new pipes, controls, discharge lines and a new fiber-optic monitoring system.
Besides the tunnel updates, the MTA is adding three substations for more power, and new elevators at the Bedford Ave and 1 Ave stations.
Until the L line rehabilitation is completed, the MTA suggests taking these alternative routes:
• Enhanced 7GM subway service lines on weeknights and weekends, including extended M service.
• Enhanced bus service on 14th Street, including additional weeknight and weekend M14 Select Bus Service.
• Free subway transfers to make connections easier between Livonia St L and Junius St 3, and from Broadway G to Hewes St JM or Lorimer St JM.
