MTA New York City Transit / Marc A. Hermann

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has developed a plan to engage in detailed community consultation on how to proceed with necessary repairs for the Canarsie Tubes, which carry the L train under the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

“The Canarsie Tubes were heavily damaged during Superstorm Sandy when they were flooded with seven million gallons of saltwater, which has eaten away at the metal and concrete materials that make up the tubes’ infrastructure,” MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast said. “We need to bring the Canarsie Tubes to a state of good repair and we need to work closely with the community and its elected officials to determine the best way to proceed with this work and provide travel alternatives while it occurs.”

“I am thrilled that the MTA has agreed to work with the elected officials and the community to make the L train repairs and upgrades as undisruptive as possible,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney(D-NY-12). “The MTA has been awarded nearly $5 billion in federal Sandy aid and has prioritized repairs to the flood-damaged 100-year-old Canarsie Tubes. Upgrades to the Bedford Avenue and 1st Avenue stations – two old stations that are inadequate to handle the huge surge in ridership in recent years – are great news for the L train. Our meeting with Chairman Prendergast was productive and I am very pleased that the MTA has agreed to host community engagement meetings in the near future so that all my constituents who will be affected by the work can be sure that their concerns are heard.”

The MTA will seek to use as much federal Sandy relief funding as possible to perform this work. Cost estimates and construction timelines for the project will be developed as planning and design work commences and no timeline has been established for work to begin on the Canarsie Tube itself.

The Canarsie Tubes suffered extensive damage to tracks, signals, switches, power cables, signal cables, communication cables, lighting, cable ducts and bench walls throughout a 7,100-foot-long flooded section of both tubes. Bench walls throughout those sections must be rehabilitated to protect the structural integrity of the tubes.

The MTA has committed to meet regularly with residents, businesses and others affected by the Canarsie Tube work, as well as to consult with elected officials representing the affected areas, before making any decisions about the construction process and service alternatives. Discussions at the meeting made clear that further study of these topics is necessary before any final decisions are made and that the MTA will take community concerns into account.

MTA New York City Transit is weighing the operational and engineering impacts of different proposals for rebuilding the Canarsie Tubes. This agreement on a framework for community consultation ensures that the MTA will be able to consider those technical issues within the larger context of the concerns expressed by residents, businesses, community boards, merchant groups and civic associations.

“By soliciting input from the affected communities as this process moves forward, we will develop a stronger and more responsive plan for how to accomplish this vital work while respecting the concerns of those who rely on the L train,” NYCT President Veronique Hakim said. “We share the goal of frequent and reliable L service between Brooklyn and Manhattan and we will work closely with those who will be most affected by this work.”

The L train carries 225,000 customers through the Canarsie Tubes on an average weekday and is the main transit route for large sections of the Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Since 1990, ridership at L train stations has more than doubled, and ridership at the Bedford Ave station in Brooklyn has more than quadrupled.

During this rehabilitation process, the MTA will also make significant improvements to stations and tunnel segments closest to the under-river section. New stairs and elevators will be installed at the Bedford Av station in Brooklyn and the 1 Av station in Manhattan and three new electric substations will be installed, providing more power to operate additional trains during rush hours.