Williamsburg Bridge May Get Carpool Lane During L Train Shutdown: Reports

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — The MTA is pitching a Williamsburg Bridge carpool lane and extra ferry route to help stranded commuters during the L train shutdown, according to reports.

Transportation representatives and lawmakers discussed instituting a high-occupancy vehicle lane on the Williamsburg Bridge during the 2019 shutdown of the Canarsie tunnel on Friday, according to a Daily News report.

The 15-month L train shutdown to repair the line’s East River tunnel, damaged during Superstorm Sandy, will begin next April 2019.

And while repairs are in the works, more than 225,000 L train riders will need to find an alternate form of transportation from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

The MTA has been considering amping up bus routes and adding bike lanes to make the commute less horrifying.

On Friday, DOT and MTA officials told lawmakers that the Williamsburg Bridge needs a special lane for cars with two or more passengers as well as eight 1,200-person ferries that cross the East River, a source told the Daily News.

More information about where the carpool lane and ferry service would begin and end was not immediately available.

The DOT and MTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Image via Kevin Gilmour/Flickr