The L train shutdown, explained

Everything you need to know about the Canarsie Tunnel repairs

The countdown to the L train not-a-shutdown is on: Repairs to the Canarsie Tunnel—and the service disruptions that they'll bring—begin in less than two weeks, at 8 p.m. on April 26.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in January that thanks to a "new, innovative" design cooked up by engineering experts from Columbia and Cornell Universities, a full shutdown of the L train is no longer necessary. Instead, the Canarsie Tunnel, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan along the L line, will be repaired in such a way that some subway service can continue to run on weekdays, with work happening on nights and weekends. Repairs are now estimated to take 15-18 months.

Originally, the L line between Manhattan and Brooklyn was due to close entirely for 15 months. About 225,000 people ride the L on a daily basis, and the closure—while essential to fix the tunnel's battered infrastructure—would have been major source of consternation for its commuters, particularly in areas where an alternate subway route is a considerable distance away.

Still, even with about 10 days to go before the repair project begins, questions—how service will be affected; whether mitigation efforts like bike lanes and new buses will still be implemented; what will happen to the real estate market—have bubbled to the surface.

So if you're wondering what the deal is with the L train repairs, fear not: We're here to answer all of your burning questions.

How will service be affected during the L train repairs?

This is perhaps the biggest question for most commuters, since—even with the less disruptive plan adopted by the MTA—there will still be plenty of changes to subway and bus service for the duration of the repair work.

The MTA has created a map that shows what service changes will look like on nights and weekends once repairs begin in earnest on April 26:

Here's the breakdown:

On weekdays, L service will continue as normal starting at 5 a.m., with service "reducing"—with trains running every 20 minutes between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and every 10 minutes between Lorimer Street and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn—beginning at 8 p.m. (According to the MTA, L trains already run every 20 minutes between 1:30 and 5 a.m.) On weekends, those 20-minute headways between Manhattan and Brooklyn will be the norm around the clock, but trains will still run every 10 minutes between Williamsburg and Canarsie.

There will also be extended service on the G, M, and 7 trains on weeknights and weekends to pick up the slack from the slower-than-normal L.

In terms of bus service, the proposed 14th Street busway appears to be no longer, but there will be an additional M14A service on weeknights and weekends. In Williamsburg, the MTA will roll out a series of dedicated buses—the B91 and B92, also called "Williamsburg Link"—that will connect the subway stations at Bedford Avenue (L), Metropolitan Avenue-Lorimer Street (L/G), Marcy Avenue (J/M), and Hewes Street (J/M; this will only connect via the B92).

Citi Bike was poised to greatly expand its fleet of electric bicycles to provide an alternative for bike-curious commuters, but recently pulled its fleet of pedal-assist bikes from city streets over safety concerns. But there is some good news for cyclists, particularly those who live off of the L in Williamsburg and Bushwick: New docking stations will soon be coming online, making traveling to and from other subway stops off the L a bit more convenient.

Why does the Canarsie Tunnel need such extensive repairs?

Blame Hurricane Sandy: When the storm ripped through New York, it caused extensive damage on a 7,100-foot-long section of both tubes of the tunnel. The storm damaged "signals, switches, power cables, signal cables, communication cables, lighting, cable ducts and bench walls," according to the MTA, and without a permanent fix, the tunnel would continue to deteriorate.

The MTA carried out similar repairs on the Montague Street Tunnel for 13 months beginning in August 2013. That tunnel, which shuttles the N and R lines between Brooklyn and Manhattan, also sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Sandy. The MTA determined that a total closure, rather than doing work intermittently, would be the most efficient way to carry out repairs. Service on that tunnel resumed a month earlier than scheduled, so L train commuters can certainly be hopeful for fast-tracked repairs.

What will the Canarsie Tunnel repairs entail?

The new plan, relying on a process that hasn't been used to fix a tunnel in the United States before, will involve hanging power cables on racks on the side of the tunnel and wrapping them in fiberglass polymer instead of embedding them in the tunnel walls.

Here's how the MTA describes it:

The new approach involves demolishing a dramatically reduced portion of duct bank, other sections will be stabilized with a FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) structure, and the remainder left in place. The new cable will utilize a racking system on the side of the tunnel, and the existing cables in the duct bank will be left in place. This new approach will achieve all functional and useful life outcomes established in the approved project while maintaining overall safety and functionality.

The MTA also plans to carry out repairs that were previously in the works under the full shutdown plan, including "constructing new power substations; storm and flooding resiliency measures; and station improvements, such as providing ADA accessibility and other capacity upgrades at the Bedford Avenue Station in Brooklyn and the 1^st and 6^th Avenue Stations in Manhattan." A more detailed explanation of those can be found here.

How long will the repairs last?

According to the MTA, repairs under the new, not-a-shutdown plan could be completed in 15-20 months. Originally, repair work was supposed to last 15 months. The MTA was, at one point, debating between two repair plans: a partial closure that would last three years, and a complete closure for 18 months. Eventually the agency decided to go with the latter, and later announced an even shorter timeline for completion.

The repairs will cost $477 million, and the two firms carrying out the work, Judlau Contracting Inc. and TC Electric, will receive an additional $15 million to complete the work in the shortened time frame.

What will happen during the Canarsie Tunnel repairs?

With this new repair method that would not require a full shutdown, service on the L line could continue largely as normal. One tube will remain open and work will be completed in the other one on nights and weekends, allowing trains to continue running with some delays. The MTA estimates 15-20 minute headways while work is being done.

Originally, the shutdown would have cut off service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, with the L running between Bedford Avenue and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn. There would have been no L service in Manhattan.

What happened to other planned transit alternatives?

Some of those have officially been killed: There won't be a new NYC Ferry route between Williamsburg and Stuyvesant Cove, for example, and the busway that would have run along 14th Street seems to be off the table.

Other private alternatives have also changed their plans; the New L, a luxury shuttle that would have ferried riders across the Williamsburg Bridge (for a hefty fee), announced in January that it has "come to the decision that as long as the current plan of record remains as-is, then providing scheduled buses across the east river bridges starting in April is no longer the best way to serve the residents of NYC."

How will the repairs impact Williamsburg's lucrative real estate?

There was panic among real estate brokers in advance of the shutdown, and perhaps for good reason: A recent StreetEasy report found that demand for Williamsburg rentals is down one percent since October of last year—and while that doesn't sound like much, the severity of that statistic is put into perspective when noting that Williamsburg is the only neighborhood in all of New York City that experienced a decline in rental demand since last year.

But the fact that a full shutdown has been called off may change things. "Look for rents to rise sharply as many who thought they were forced to look elsewhere adjust to the new reality of minimal disruption," predicts Grant Long, a senior economist with StreetEasy.

Still, Long believes uncertainty over the new plan for repairs may affect the market. "While we predicted that many Brooklynites had underestimated the inconvenience of the looming shutdown, we expect many will similarly underestimate the commuting headaches that still lie ahead, with officials trading a sharp but short period of inconvenience with a less disruptive but more uncertain plan," he said.

How are people reacting to the not-a-shutdown news?

Right now, there's some optimism, some skepticism, and a lot of questions.

"The questions it raises in terms of process are, if this was possible, did the MTA think about this years ago when this problem became apparent?" says Jon Orcutt of the TransitCenter. "If so, why did they reject it? If not, why weren't they looking around the world at new ways of doing things? If the governor wants to bring in independent engineers to review big things they're doing, why can't you do it much earlier in the process?"

Calling the plan "promising," Nick Sifuentes of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign nevertheless agreed that the mitigation plans should remain in place. "Whether New Yorkers can expect to see a full or a partial shutdown on the L train, the MTA and the city DOT must move forward with their current mitigation plans," Sifuentes wrote in a statement. "With 400,000 daily riders, the L train is already at capacity, and any reduction in service will mean riders will struggle to find ways to get around. Every bus, every ferry, every HOV lane will still be needed to meet the demand."

Ben Kabak of Second Avenue Sagas is more skeptical. "At best, it will kick the can down the road; at worst, it will fail, costing precious time and even more money," he writes. "No matter what, everyone involved with the L train shutdown I've spoken with today agreed that at some point in the near future, whether it be 10 or 20 or 30 years down the road, the MTA will have to rebuild the L train's 14th Street tunnel."

The MTA and DOT, meanwhile, have vowed to be responsive and ready to make changes as soon as repairs are underway. But it's impossible to predict the success or failure of their efforts until the process begins; we'll see how it all goes in a little over a week.