Upcoming L train closure could last 18 months

The MTA is considering options for performing post-Sandy repairs on the L train’s Canarsie Tunnel while also announcing various other station and line repairs that will inconvenience commuters.

The MTA’s decision about how best to perform long-needed fixes and upgrades range from full-on closures to intermittent periods of line work that would affect regular subway operation, the New York Daily News reported. Most notably, the L train tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan could be closed around-the-clock for 18 months.

“We always knew we’d have to go back to make more extensive and permanent repairs to maintain service reliability through the tube,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Kevin Ortiz said in a statement quoted by the Daily News.

Previous tunnel projects have seen the MTA utilize shuttle buses and increased service on other lines to alleviate subway closures, Pix 11 stated. Gov. Cuomo’s recent transportation-focused agenda has spurred the MTA to consider total shutdowns for shorter periods rather than intermittent disruptions that could last years.

“The MTA is committed to meeting Gov. Cuomo’s challenge head-on, eliminating every possible inefficiency to deliver these improvements faster, better and at a lower cost,” MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said to Pix 11.

The MTA has recently tried both strategies, completely closing the R train’s Montague tunnel for a year while working on the 7 train’s Steinway tunnel on weekends, the Daily News added.

Beginning Monday, workers will begin performing large-scale renovations to nine stations along the Sea Beach N train, including 8th Avenue, Fort Hamilton Parkway, New Utrecht Avenue, 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue, Bay Parkway, Kings Highway, Avenue U and 86th Street, according to an MTA statement. The Manhattan-bound platforms at these stations will be closed for 14 months before repairs begin on the opposite platforms.