The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and city Department of Transportation are gearing up for another town hall-style meeting to discuss the looming L train shutdown — this time in Brooklyn.
The L train is scheduled to close between Manhattan and Brooklyn for 15 months beginning in April 2019, and the mitigation plan has left many residents and transit advocates with concerns ranging from not enough off-peak alternatives to a lack of accessibility for people with disabilities.
The forum in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will be held on Wednesday and it is expected to include presentations on mitigation plans by the MTA and city DOT, with a Q&A session to follow.
The agencies hosted a similar meeting in Manhattan last Wednesday, which quickly turned into a showdown between two advocacy groups who differ on whether a proposed 14th Street busway should run around the clock or just during rush hour.
“This crucial project presents an unprecedented challenge for us and our customers, and we’re committed to taking their input and getting this right,” Byford said in an emailed statement announcing the meetings on May 4. “Ensuring that the public is actively engaged is an essential part of the success of the project.”
The Canarsie Tunnel, which serves the L line under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, was inundated with millions of gallons of salt water in 2012 as a result of flooding during superstorm Sandy.
The MTA said extensive repairs to the tunnel’s tracks, signal cables, bench walls and other critical infrastructure still need to be made.
The public meetings are the latest in a series of attempts by the two agencies to inform riders of the mitigation plans and address concerns the affected communities may have.
Here are the details for the upcoming Brooklyn town hall meeting:
Brooklyn:
May 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
850 Grand St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
