L Train Shutdown Approved By MTA

WILLAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — A 15-month shutdown on the L train line was approved by the MTA Monday.

The closure will begin in April 2019.

The MTA's board confirmed the timeline, as well as contracts and costs involved in the project which is needed to repair damage to the tunnel under the East River which was damaged during Superstorm Sandy.

The work had originally been scheduled to begin in January 2019 and last 18 months but the MTA managed to cut three months off the original estimate, the agency announced in March.

Contractors Judlau Contracting and TC Electric will begin working on the line immediately in preparation for the official closure in two years time, records show.

Judlau Contracting also worked on the Second Avenue subway and was held responsible for that project’s delay.

The MTA hopes to encourage the company to complete the project on time by levying a $410,000 fine for each day of work it does after the July 2020 deadline and by offering a $15 million reward if it completes it ahead of schedule.

The MTA expects to pay $477 million to repair the Canarsie Tunnel.

The agency is exploring several options for commuters during the shutdown. The MTA estimates 400,000 riders use the L train day.

Possibilities include an express bus lane on the Williamsburg Bridge, a ferry between northern Williamsburg and Manhattan, increasing M, G, A and C line capacity and shuttle buses.

Photo by Kathleen Culliton