L Train Shutdown To Be Explained At First Public Meeting Tonight

EAST WILLIAMSBURG, NEW YORK — The MTA will host its first public discussion on the L train shutdown in Brooklyn Wednesday night, officials said.

The agency will field questions about the 15-month closure of the Canarsie Tunnel, slated to begin in 2019, at Progress High School at 850 Grand St. from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to transit officials.

MTA representatives are expected to provide more information about how they plan to accommodate the 225,000 commuters who rely on the L train to travel between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The agency has promised to amp up bus and ferry service and improve bike lanes, and has already invested $150 million in diesel buses to supplement service between boroughs.

But lack of further information spurred City Council members to haul MTA officials into an oversight hearing in December to demand more complete plans.

A month later, the MTA announced it would host four public meetings to inform the public about transportation alternatives that will be made available between April 2019 and June 2020.

There will be two meetings in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan.

Here’s the complete list of upcoming open houses:

— Wed., Jan. 24, 5-8 p.m. in East Williamsburg at Progress High School
— Wed., Jan. 31, 5-8 p.m. in Manhattan at the 14th Street Y
— Thurs., Feb. 8, 5-8 p.m. in Williamsburg at the Williamsburg Community Center
— Wed., Feb. 14, 5-8 p.m. in Manhattan at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

Photo courtesy of Spencer Platt / Staff / Getty Images News