The MTA confirmed today that the L train’s 15-month shutdown between 8th Avenue in Manhattan and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn will start on April 27th of next year.
The damage to the Canarsie Tunnel caused by the floodwaters of Superstorm Sandy in 2012 will be repaired through 2020, during which time the L train will run as usual in Brooklyn between Bedford Avenue and Rockaway Parkway.
The MTA estimates that nearly 300,000 NYC commuters will be disrupted; around 50,000 commuters take the L train in Manhattan daily, while 225,000 commuters rely on the service between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The increased frequency of G, J, M and Z trains, along with a shuttle ‘busway’ across 14th Street in Manhattan are part of the comprehensive MTA plan.
Grand Street will also see changes during the shutdown:
As part of the project, portions of Grand Street will be dedicated to local access and buses only from 5AM to 10PM, seven days a week: Bushwick Avenue to Union Avenue in the westbound direction, and Keap Street to Rodney Street in the eastbound direction. Vehicles needing local access can turn onto Grand Street from the cross-street closest to their destination. For through access between the Williamsburg Bridge and points east, vehicles must use an alternate route such as Metropolitan Avenue.
https://twitter.com/NYCTSubway/status/1057314096322932747
https://twitter.com/NYCTSubway/status/1057314519989567491
In January 2019, the MTA will roll out a fleet of branded cargo vans with info on the L train reconstruction. Overnight and weekend closures are scheduled to start in February 2019; service will be suspended from Broadway Junction in Brooklyn to 8th Avenue in Manhattan February 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24, and March 2-3, 9-10 and 16-7.