Rep. Maloney started her career as an ESL *English as a Second Language) teacher in East Harlem. When her program was cut, her colleagues elected her as their advocate to restore funding - and she succeeded, setting an example that has extended throughout her career, first working with the NYC Department of Education and then as a legislative staffer in Albany. After gaining that experience, in 1982 she ran a long-shot challenge to an incumbent City Council Member in a district that spanned East Harlem, South Bronx, Manhattan Valley, and Carnegie Hill - and she won an improbably upset.
During Superstorm Sandy, the 100-year-old Canarsie Tunnel that brings the L Train under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn was flooded with 7 million gallons of saltwater and was forced to close for 11 days. According to the MTA, this was the subway tunnel most adversely affected by the storm, and that the aging and overcrowded tunnel needs additional upgrades.
Ridership on the L Train has risen nearly 240% since 1990, with an increase of nearly 470% at Bedford Avenue alone. With approximately 400,000 riders per day, more than half of whom commute between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the L Train is one of the most important elements of New York’s public transit system. The MTA is proposing major repairs that will have a significant impact on commuters to and from Greenpoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn and 14th Street in Manhattan. As part of the repairs, the Canarsie Tunnel will be significantly upgraded, as will the 1st Avenue and Bedford Avenue Stations. Much of the cost of the repairs will be funded from Superstorm Sandy Recovery Funding, federal formula funding and the Cost of Good Repair program, for a total of roughly $700 million in federal funds.
The MTA is starting the tunnel rehabilitation phase of the L Project—a project that will ultimately also bring ADA accessibility to three new stations and increase service on the L line. The partial closure of the Canarsie Tunnel for the repairs needed in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, while necessary, will reduce the frequency of L Train service on nights and weekends, beginning Friday, April 26, 2019 and lasting 15-18 months.
Getting Around During the L Train Project
It’s important to plan ahead before using the L Train as it will be crowded, and alternatives might be faster.
In Brooklyn, the MTA is introducing a new bus, the Williamsburg Link. It will operate on two routes, one clockwise (B92) and one counterclockwise (B91). This bus will provide double the normal bus service when there is no L Train service during weekend and weeknight construction work. These buses provide connections between:
In Manhattan, the MTA is planning additional M14A bus service to connect customers to the M-, G-, and 7-Trains, which will have enhanced service during weeknights and weekends. The extra M14A route service will extend to connect with the Delancey/Essex Street F/J/M Station. On weekends, the M14A/D buses, combined, run every 3 to 5 minutes for most of the day along 14th Street. The MTA is also planning to implement Select Bus Service (SBS) along the M14A/D route to increase bus speeds.
The city has also decided to pilot a new design for 14th Street. To further increase bus speed, 14th Street will be temporarily converted to a “busway” for the duration of the L Project. NYC Department of Transportation will set aside 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues for buses only, with allowances for private car drop-offs and deliveries. The new design is founded on international best practices for busy transit corridors that are proven to facilitate quick and reliable bus travel and improve truck traffic. You can view details on the City’s design for the 18-month pilot here.
To help you plan your trip, use these resources:
MTA website, including maps: https://new.mta.info/l-project/service-alternatives
Video Travel Guides:
Station-Specific Travel Guides (detailed information by station):
Manhattan Stations
Brooklyn Stations
If you have questions or need help trip-planning, you can contact the MTA:
Air Quality on the Subway
Rep. Maloney's number-one priority for the L Project is ensuring the safety of all commuters, including when it comes to the quality of the air in the Canarsie Tunnel and on the L-Train platforms. Tunnel rehabilitation work creates dust, which includes respirable crystalline silica. The MTA has required its contractor to create a plan for managing dust. The MTA, in consultation with a public health consultant, has established an extremely conservative threshold that the contractor will be required to meet or the dust producing work will be stopped. By applying the OSHA established long term exposure limits (for workers exposed to these levels for 8 hours a day over 45 years), to the short-term exposure of our riders, the MTA is confident that it is establishing a threshold that is health protective to our riders. In addition to managing and mitigating the dust, the plan includes constant environmental air monitoring within the tunnel work zones, adjacent to any work zone and on the platforms adjacent to the tunnel at 1 Av and Bedford Av. The MTA has promised to make the results of the air monitoring available to the public, but the agency is still working to finalize how that data will be shared.
What I’m Doing
Rep. Maloney has met many times with MTA officials over the past several months to express my concerns about the L Project mitigation plan, air quality monitoring, and the agency’s efforts to solicit community feedback during the L Project’s planning phase. Rep. Maloney is continuing my involvement as NYC Transit forms its plans for re-designing 14th Street and for implementing Select Bus Service on the M14A/D route.