I hate to break it to you folks, but our beloved or behated G Train will be closed at Greenpoint Ave for 12 weekends beginning on July 6, 2013. Also closed will be 21st Street and Court Square stops in Long Island City.
That means no service between Nassau & Greenpoint Aves or to Queens. The train will run from Church St to Nassau Ave, which will be the last stop. Then you can take a shuttle service along the rest of the line.
Thanks to Hurricane Sandy the MTA has some major work to do to repair the tube. According to a NY Times report: “In the Greenpoint tube, power cables, exposed to salt water, are ‘corroding from the inside,’ the authority said, and exterior corrosion of rails and fasteners has increased the likelihood of short circuits.”
The affected weekends are July 6, July 13, July 20, Aug. 3, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24, Sept. 7, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14.
Remember the last time you walked across the Pulaski Bridge? You likely were almost run over by a cyclist, right? Or were you the cyclist coasting at a rapid pace with no time to break as you approached a halted pedestrian stopped to snap a shot of that breathtaking Manhattan skyline?
Lucky for us, this danger might soon come to an end.
The city is currently in talks to create a separate bike lane for the bridge, providing a more spacious walking route and a safer way for cyclists to cross from Greenpoint to Long Island City. A bike lane would reportedly replace one of the Pulaski’s three southbound car lanes. The current sidewalk is only eight-feet wide for cyclists and pedestrians traveling in both directions.
The only roadblock (pun intended) is the Pulaski’s drawbridge. According to DNAinfo.com, the Department of Transportation will announce a final decision this March. Maybe Greenpointers will have a safe way to head to LIC just in time for ideal spring bike-riding weather.
The city just keeps getting more expensive and that includes getting around on our mass transit system. Just announced: As of March 2013, it will cost a whopping $2.50 (raised from $2.25) in order to take a ride on the G Train or any line. According to the Observer, “This is the fourth hike in five years. The motion was approved unanimously…And it may not sound like much, but a $2.50 MetroCard is 25 percent more expensive over that period, when it cost $2.”
What do you think about this fare hike? What service improvements do you expect? Will you opt for riding your bike?
I hate to break it to you folks, but our beloved or behated G Train will be closed at Greenpoint Ave for 12 weekends beginning on July 6, 2013. Also closed will be 21st Street and Court Square stops in Long Island City.
