Hi all,
As you know, we’ve been working with DOT and the community to finalize a plan for additional transportation options while we reconstruct the L train tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The goal is to give all of our customers options that are safe, easy to navigate and of course, minimize commute times.
Our current alternative service plan covers 100 percent of affected customers, and today, we’ve reached another milestone in putting this plan into action: the release of an environmental assessment of the alternative service plan for public review and comment. You can access the Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Section 4(f) Review for the Canarsie Tunnel Project, prepared by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) & The Metropolitan Transportation Authority/ New York City Transit (MTA NYCT), here: http://web.mta.info/mta/news/notices. I’ve also attached the public notice of availability.
I am reaching out to you to inform you about the next step in the process – a public comment period – and how we’re engaging the community to make sure everyone who wants to participate is able to do so.
The alternate service plan includes the following during the tunnel reconstruction:
- Increased alternative subway service during peak and off-peak hours – more trips and longer trains
- New temporary bus routes, including one across 14th Street and four over the Williamsburg Bridge
- Additional trips on local bus routes during the tunnel reconstruction
- 15 electric buses to be used during the tunnel reconstruction
- New temporary ferry service between North Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Stuyvesant Cove, Manhattan
- Station access and capacity improvements
- Additional temporary bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
- Traffic management strategies, including a temporary busway on 14th Street and the temporary implementation of HOV3+ on the Williamsburg Bridge
- Early implementation of some of the alternate service options to help customers plan and prepare for the tunnel closure
Public Process and Next Steps:
- There is a 30-day public comment period from July 20, 2018, to August 19, 2018. Following the close of the comment period, FTA will review the comments and responses, and make a formal NEPA determination.
- There are many ways to review and comment on this document (more details on all of these are included in the attached public notice):
- Online: http://web.mta.info/mta/news/notices
- Review a printed copy of the report in person (full location list provided in the public notice).
- Mail comments to MTA’s or FTA’s offices (must be postmarked by August 19, 2018).
- Attend a public meeting on Monday, August 6, 2018, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at MTA Headquarters at 2 Broadway.
For the latest information on the L tunnel reconstruction, this page will continue to be the best resource: http://web.mta.info/sandy/rebuildingCanarsieTunnel.html. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.