L Train Shutdown Won't Happen, Cuomo Announces

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — The dreaded 15-month shutdown of the L train, scheduled to begin in just a few months, won't need to happen after all, Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a surprise announcement Thursday.

Cuomo shocked residents — and seemingly some officials — when he said during a press conference that his team of experts that visited the Canarsie tunnel have come up with a new plan that will avoid a full shutdown of the subway line.

"Long story short, with this design it would not be necessary to close the L train tunnel at all, which would be a phenomenal benefit to the people of New York City," Cuomo said, adding that only some weekend or nighttime closures of one of the two tracks will be necessary.

The new method, developed by a team of experts from Cornell University and Columbia University, has never been used in the United States before. It has been used in Europe, Cuomo said, but never in a tunnel reconstruction.

(Keep up with NYC events and news by subscribing to Williamsburg-Greenpoint's Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

MTA officials have reviewed the plan and say that it is feasible, he added.

The announcement comes three years into the planned shutdown, which has caused panic among commuters that would need to find alternate routes to work in Manhattan or within Brooklyn.

Cuomo decided just two weeks ago that he would visit the tunnel and review the plans for a possible alternative. He said at the time that he wanted to ensure he could confidently tell New Yorkers that every option was explored.

"I can’t tell you how many people have approached me about the L train and the difficulties that the L train closure would trigger," Cuomo said Thursday. "The MTA has done a very good job, the city has done a very good job in trying to alleviate the problems with the L train closing...but the simple fact is you have roughly 250,000 people who would need another way to get to work.

"15 months sounds like a relatively short amount of time — but it's not if you’re doing it one day at a time trying to get to work," he said.

The press conference is ongoing with experts from Cuomo's team – check this article for updates.

Photo by Stefan Jeremiah/Shutterstock