A Ruth Bader Ginsburg poster was vandalized in Greenpoint on Tuesday inside the Nassau Avenue G subway station with the words “Die Jew Bitch” along with a drawing of a swastika.
The hate graffiti quickly drew condemnation from Mayor de Blasio who is asking for public assistance in identifying the person responsible:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg represents the very best of our city.
We’ll find whoever is responsible for this anti-Semitic trash and ensure they face consequences for trying to spread hate in New York City. If you have any information on this despicable act, please contact the NYPD. https://t.co/qff5nV7OE1
Two additional L train open house sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, March 19: Grand Street Campus High School, (850 Grand St.), and on Monday, April 8: (14th St. Y), 344 E 14 St.
The current L train reconstruction plan is thin on finalized details, but a night and weekend repair schedule beginning April 26th where the L train runs in 20-minute increments between Manhattan and Brooklyn is expected. To help mitigate the problem, the MTA would like L train commuters to reconsider their station: Continue reading →
The MTA is hosting the first of four open houses focused on the L train tonight (3/7) at Our Lady of Guadalupe St. Bernard at 328 W 14 St. in Manhattan from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The other three open houses are also scheduled from 6-8 p.m.:
Wednesday, March 13: Williamsburg Northside School, 299 N 7th St.
Tuesday, March 19: Grand Street Campus High School, 850 Grand St.
Monday, April 8: 14th St Y, 344 E 14 St.
The L train is currently undergoing service disruptions on nights and weekends through March 18, and while a night and weekend repair schedule is expected to be implemented for approximately 15 to 18 months during repairs scheduled to start this spring, a final plan has yet to be approved. Continue reading →
A panel discussion on the proposed Brooklyn Queens Connector (also known as BQX) is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. at the Brooklyn Brewery (79 N. 11th St.); the talk is hosted by Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector, RSVP here.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will moderate a discussion with small business owners, organizers, and experts from Seattle, Portland, Toronto, Kansas City, and St. Paul. Small group brewery tours begin at 6:00 and 6:30 pm. and the panel discussion starts at 7 p.m. Complimentary food and drinks will be available.
The BQX is a streetcar that would span 11 miles of dedicated lanes from Astoria to Red Hook with stops half a mile apart connecting to nine ferries, 30 buses, and 13 subway lines.
According to the BQX website:
The BQX is anticipated to cost approximately $2.7 billion to construct. These estimates assume that the BQX will be built and operated using all union labor. Half the project can be paid for by a bond issued against future tax revenue increases from commercial and multifamily properties along the BQX route and will not not rely upon any new residential rezonings or tax rate increases. Furthermore, the project is estimated to created $30 billion in economic value over the coming decades which is over 10 times its capital cost.
The MTA announced that the previously scheduled northbound bypass of the Greenpoint Avenue G station during March is “no longer necessary,” and due to “track maintenance” the G train will have night and weekend service disruptions starting March 18 through April 26, when free shuttle bus service will be provided.
The service changes listed below begin at approximately 9:45 p.m. Fridays and end at approximately 5:00 a.m. Monday for weekend work, and from 9:45 p.m. to approximately 5:00 a.m. the following morning during weeknights:
March 18-22 (weeknights) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
March 22-25 (weekend) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
March 25-29 (weeknights) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
March 29-April 1 (weekend) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
April 1-5 (weeknights) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
April 5-8 (weekend) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
April 8-12 (weeknights) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
April 12-15 (weekend) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Court Square
April 15-19 (weeknights) G service operates in two sections: Between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues, and between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets
April 19-22 (weekend) Free shuttle buses replace G service between Jay Street and Court Square; transfer at Jay Street to take southbound F service replacing G trains
April 22-26 (weeknights) G service operates in two sections: Between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues, and between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets
MTA employees using a pump train to pump water out of the Canarsie Tunnel under the East River in Nov 2012. The tunnel was flooded during the unprecedented 13-foot storm surge of Hurricane Sandy. (Courtesy of MTA / Patrick Cashin)
Tonight, a public forum on the partial shutdown of the L train entitled ReversaL will take place at A/D/O (29 Norman Ave.) from 6:30 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. Admission is free and you can RSVP here. The URBAN-X YouTube Channel will host footage of the event shortly after the talk.
Work on the Canarsie Tunnel is set to begin on April 26, with night and weekend service disruptions lasting 15 – 20 months. The previous plans to lengthen the G train and provide shuttle buses across the Williamsburg Bridge are not included in the new plan, but service will increase on the G, M and 7 subway lines and an MTA shuttle will run from Bedford Avenue to the J/M Marcy Avenue station and to the G/L Lorimer Street station on a loop.
Speakers at the ReversaL public forum include:
Greg Lindsay – Moderator – Urbanist in Residence at URBAN-X
Rodrigo Bautista – Principal Change Designer at Forum for the Future
Phil Jones – East Coast Senior Director at Lime
Benjamin Solotaire – Community Organizer, North Brooklyn & Director of Participatory Budgeting for Council Member Stephen Levin
Toby Moskovits – CEO at Heritage Equity Partners
Kate Slevin – Senior Vice President, State Programs and Advocacy, Regional Plan Association
Five weeks after releasing a statement announcing that the L train shutdown is averted, the MTA announced its “Alternative Service Plan” for construction on the Canarsie Tunnel during nights and weekends, when L trains will run every 20 minutes from Bedford Ave to Manhattan.
The work would begin on April 26, and is estimated to last 15 – 20 months. The previous plans to lengthen the G train and provide shuttle buses across the Williamsburg Bridge are not included in the new plan, but service will increase on the G, M and 7 subway lines. An MTA shuttle will run from Bedford Avenue to the J/M Marcy Avenue station and to the G/L Lorimer Street station and back, according to amNew York.
According to NBC New York, the plan includes (and excludes):
Work on overnights/weekends begins the weekend of April 26;
The MTA does not anticipate closing 14th Street to vehicles, which would have happened under the previous plan;
The MTA is not planning shuttle buses or HOV lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge;
The MTA is not planning shuttle buses or HOV lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge;
Beginning at 10 p.m. every night, L trains will run every 20 minutes;
The MTA recommends customers use other subway lines – the G/J/M especially;
The MTA will not be lengthening G trains as previously planned;
The MTA will run a “loop bus” from Bedford Avenue to those other subways;
concerned about crowding at First Avenue and Third Avenue in Manhattan. They are considering making those stations EXIT ONLY;
Work should last 15-20 months but an end date is unknown
Service changes for the G train are slated to begin March 1, to make way for construction crews to install three elevators at the Greenpoint Ave stop, Councilmember Stephen Levin posted on Facebook:
We have some service changes to the G Train coming up as we make the line better. Here are the details
1. The next phase of the project to bring full ADA accessibility to the Greenpoint Avenue G station, including three new elevators and other accessibility features, will require round-the-clock track and platform access to construction crews. Beginning at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2019 until 5:00 a.m. on Monday, April 1, 2019, northbound G trains will not stop at Greenpoint Avenue. Customers will be able to access the station by taking MTA NYC Transit bus service or taking a northbound G train to 21st Street in Queens and then back riding on a southbound G train to Greenpoint Avenue. There will be no change to southbound G service during this time at this station.
2. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 4, 2019 until 5:00 a.m. on Monday, April 1, 2019, southbound G trains will not stop at the Flushing Avenue G station. This southbound bypass is necessitated by an MTA NYC Transit flood prevention project at the station, as the staircase leading to/from the southbound platform of the station will be closed for the flood mitigation upgrade. Customers will be able to access this station by taking a southbound G train to Myrtle-Willoughby Avenues and then taking a northbound G train to Flushing Avenue. There will be no change to northbound G service during this time at this station.
Following reports of a mysterious gas odor today, the L train is experiencing service disruptions between Morgan Avenue in Brooklyn and 1st Avenue in Manhattan, the MTA says.
Update: There are significant disruptions in L train service while we investigate the source of fuel smells on the tracks near Graham Av. Our safety checks have found that the air is currently safe, but we need to correct and resolve the condition before restoring service. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/VLtYSTKwGF
Service has been partially suspended on the L train since early afternoon due to the fumes, which are attributed by the MTA to street-level waterproofing and diesel trains in the Canarsie tunnel last night.
Good morning. We apologize for the smell. Street-level waterproofing work was done at Bedford Av yesterday and several diesel trains were in the tunnel last night working on tracks and switches. Fans are running to clear the air, and our crews are continuing to investigate. ^BD
How can we use the L train shutdown to inspire change around sustainable mobility in New York and the greater world? That’s the question that will be explored at ReversaL: A Public Forum on The Partial Shutdown of The L-Train, that’s scheduled at A/D/O (29 Norman Ave.) on Tue, Feb. 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. Admission to the public forum is free and you can RSVP here.
Many unknowns remain since Gov. Cuomo intervened last month with the plan to shut down the L train for 15 – 18 months between Manhattan and Brooklyn to make way for construction on the Canarsie Tunnel, which was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy. As the MTA board awaits approval of the new L train remedy, service will be suspended for nighttime and weekend commuters.
Representatives from the public and private sector will speak at the forum exploring alternative transportation methods and remedies and the list of guests includes Greg Lindsay, urbanist in residence at URBAN-X; Rodrigo Bautista, principal change designer at Forum for the Future; Scott Kubly, chief programs officer at LimeBike; Benjamin Solotaire, community organizer in North Brooklyn and director of participatory budgeting for Council Member Stephen Levin; Toby Moskovits, CEO at Heritage Equity Partners and mop
More guests may be announced ahead of the event, which will also be available to watch on the URBAN-X YouTube Channel shortly after the talk.
