The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced as the L Subway Project tunnel rehabilitation advances ahead of schedule, it will be scheduling work for other parts of the project, including critical accessibility and stations work.
L subway service has been maintained as normal for 88 percent of weekday customers due to a revised approach to the tunnel rehabilitation work. This has helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers that would have been severely impacted under the original plan to fully close L subway service between 8 Ave in Manhattan and Bedford Ave in Brooklyn, according to the MTA. The accessibility and stations work announced, which is part of the original project but separate from the tunnel rehabilitation, will require changes to L subway service in September, October and November this year.
The L Subway Project is made up of multiple projects, including tunnel rehabilitation, capacity and accessibility improvements and additional capital projects. As the tunnel work remains ahead of schedule, the MTA is also progressing the accessibility and stations work promised under the original scope of the project. This is focused on advancing two primary projects:
- Augmenting access and mobility options and reducing crowding at Union Square Station with a new escalator: The L subway platform at Union Square is among the most congested platforms in the system. Around 18,700 people use it in the morning peak hour and 16,500 in the evening, according to the MTA. Following the successful redesign and construction of the two L subway platforms to NQRW platform stairs, the escalator is scheduled to be fully operable in 2020, and will further alleviate congestion while also giving customers an additional mobility option.
- Advancing accessibility work at 14 St-6 Ave Station: The L subway platform and the F /M subway platform will be made accessible at this station, a critical connection hub in Manhattan. Additionally, with the next capital plan, the 1, 2 and 3 platforms, which are connected via free transfer, will also be made accessible. This will be managed as one project to increase efficiency and will be done in phases with the L subway platform accessibility scheduled for completion first.
The L platform:
• L subway platform accessibility: This project will provide two elevators from the street to the mezzanine, and another two from the mezzanine to the train platform. Work will start on or before Dec. 31, 2020 and will be completed on or before Dec. 31, 2022.
• F /M subway platform accessibility: As part of the design and construction of the L subway platform accessibility work, MTA is also designing and starting work for additional accessibility upgrades to the F/M subway platform, including two elevators. These additional elevators will leverage the two street elevators that will be installed to support the L subway platform accessibility to also connect the F/M subway trains’ mezzanines (both uptown and downtown) from street level and the passageway leading to 14 St-6 Ave Station on 7th Avenue. Construction of this project is to be included as part of the 2020-2024 Capital Program Plan proposal, which will seek the right approvals and funding to start construction in that five-year time period.
“While the L Subway Project was initiated because of the damage from Superstorm Sandy, it was designed to address many other critical needs—namely, accessibility,” said Alex Elegudin, NYC Transit’s senior adviser for systemwide accessibility. “Advancing this work now at these critical stations as we had promised will help to minimize disruptions later while also getting the accessibility and ease-of-access improvements done as quickly as possible, a huge win for our customers.”
Customers should plan ahead for these L subway service changes in fall 2019:
• Weekend of September 13-16, 2019: No L subway service between 8 Ave in Manhattan and Broadway Junction in Brooklyn from 10:45 p.m. on Friday through 5 a.m. Monday. Alternate service will include:
• October/November 2019, approximately three to five weeks of weeknights and weekends with no L subway service at 8 Ave or 14 St-6 Ave Stations in Manhattan; dates will be announced as soon as possible. Alternate service will include:
Additional intermittent service changes may be necessary to support these projects, such as bypassing Union Square Station.
