Roosevelt Island Tram Renovations Begin This Week

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A plan to completely replace platforms at the Roosevelt Island and Manhattan Tram stations is set to begin this week after a short postponement.

Crews will begin construction work Wednesday, according to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation — the state agency created to "plan, design, develop, operate, maintain and manage Roosevelt Island," according to its website. The work was planned to begin Monday but had to be briefly pushed back.

As workers replace the tram platforms only one cabin will be operational at a time and service will operate on a 15-minute schedule, according to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation. Construction on the tram is expected to persist through Winter 2018, according to the corporation.

One daily tram commuter, Nicolas Box-Rubio, said that the last time work was done on the tram "it was hell."

"Everybody was pushing and we have a stroller, so people don't understand that you need to work even if you have a kid," Box-Rubio told Patch. "So they keep pushing you and try to get in front of you so you can't get into the tram, and people even complained that we were even taking up too much space."

Box-Rubio added that his morning commute takes place early so he's not too worried about that, but that he's not looking forward to the afternoon commute — which is made worse by the tram's draw as a tourist attraction — back to Roosevelt Island.

During the construction period commuters can take Red Bus shuttles between the Roosevelt Island and Manhattan Tram stations. The shuttles depart from Roosevelt Island on the hour and return from Manhattan on the half hour. Buses will run between 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m., according to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation.

Additionally, Roosevelt Island residents can take the Q102 bus to Queensboro Plaza and transfer to a Manhattan-bound subway.

The tramway transports commuters along the Queensboro Bridge between Roosevelt Island and Manhattan's Upper East Side. During normal operations two cars run simultaneously.

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