The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) today announced a series of jointly held interactive public workshops next month to engage communities in Manhattan and Brooklyn that will be affected by the previously announced repairs to the Canarsie Tunnel on the line.

The full closure of the Canarsie Tunnel’s two tubes will not begin before January 2019, providing time for a thoughtful development of service alternatives.

During the workshops, MTA and NYCDOT will provide information on the Canarsie Tunnel repairs and to solicit community feedback on possible alternate travel options during the planned 18-month closure.

Representatives from MTA and NYCDOT are also using the sessions to gain input for traffic modeling and analysis currently being conducted as service plans to minimize impacts are developed. Representatives will also be available to discuss construction impacts, ADA issues, and bus and subway service as it relates to the closure.

The public is strongly encouraged to participate in these workshops, which are expected to solicit meaningful input on alternate travel options for customers who will be affected by the repairs.

About the Canarsie Tunnel Closure

The Canarsie Tunnel was one of nine underwater tunnels that flooded during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, all of which required extensive rehabilitation and repair. The Canarsie Tunnel 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.

During the 18-month rehabilitation process, the MTA will also make significant improvements to stations and tunnel segments closest to the river. 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.

Community Workshops

Community workshops have been designed to help the MTA and NYCDOT develop service alternatives and mitigation proposals tailored to the affected neighborhoods. Each workshop will be structured to allow public participation on a rolling basis as people arrive in order to solicit ideas from the greatest number of people.

The workshops are intended to help MTA and NYCDOT better understand preferred alternate travel options for impacted customers. They will also solicit community input on alternate solutions such as increased bicycle use, shuttle buses and ferries, and to generate other suggestions. The MTA and NYCDOT is also working with community boards, elected officials and the public to develop alternate service plans, which will be in place at least one year ahead of the 2019 closure.

The workshops will take place on the following dates:

February 9, 2017, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Eastside of Manhattan

Town and Village Synagogue

334 East 14th Street, New York

February 16, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Williamsburg

The Williamsburg HS for Architecture & Design

257 North 6th Street, Brooklyn

February 23, from 7p.m. to 9 p.m.: Westside of Manhattan

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

328 West 14th Street, New York

March 2, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: East Williamsburg/Bushwick

Progress High School

850 Grand Street, Brooklyn