Here's How M Line Construction Will Affect Your Commute For The Next Eight Months

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Construction on the M line is right on track (pun apology) and the MTA will complete the first phase of the project on schedule, the agency announced Friday.

Construction on the Fresh Pond Bridge in Ridgewood, Queens is expected to wrap up on Sept. 1 so that M line service can be partially restored to four stations in the area, according to the MTA.

But don’t get too excited — Bushwick commuters who live beyond the Myrtle-Broadway stop are still going to be relying on shuttles, the L train, or their feet for the next eight months.

That’s because phase two of the $163 million project, slated for Sept. 2, will involve tackling the problem of the 104-year-old Myrtle Viaduct and shutting down stations between Myrtle-Broadway and Myrtle-Wyckoff.

Which means M service will run in three sections:

• An M shuttle will run between Metropolitan Avenue, Fresh Pond Road, Forest Avenue, Seneca Avenue and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues, where straphangers can transfer to the L train.
• Shuttle buses will run between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues, Knickerbocker Avenue, Central Avenue and Myrtle Broadway, with free transfers.
• M trains will continue normal service between Myrtle-Broadway and Manhattan

The service changes will allow the MTA to revamp the 310-foot-long concrete overpass on Myrtle Avenue, which has been connecting the M line with J and Z lines since 1913, according to the MTA.

The Myrtle Viaduct will need to be partially demolished and rebuilt with a new concrete deck, safety walkways, third rail, low-vibration tracks.

For more news on how the MTA will be futzing with your commute, check out Patch’s rundown of weekend subway service changes.

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Photo by Kathleen Culliton