Accelerated Timeline will Reduce Length of Project to 33 Months from 40, Saving 20 Weeks of Planned Work  

Work is Part of Governor Cuomo’s Plan to Accelerate Construction on $2 Billion in Capital Projects During Low Ridership Caused by COVID-19 Pandemic 

Changes to  Train Service Between Manhattan and Brooklyn and  Train Service in Brooklyn During Most Weekends Through 2023; Work Takes Advantage of Outages Created for Switch Replacement Work in Manhattan 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that crews are making repairs along the  line between Borough Hall and Franklin Av in Brooklyn to ensure reliability throughout the lines in Brooklyn and prevent future structural issues. The work will require some weekend suspension of  train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan and rerouted  service on Eastern Parkway. 

The repairs are being done during a period of low subway ridership, and during the ongoing overnight subway shutdown between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., minimizing the disruption of the work and impacting as few riders as possible. 

An accelerated timeline reduced the contract duration to 33 months from 40, saving over 20 weeks of planned work and service outages. The work is part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s announcement that the MTA would be accelerating construction on $2 billion in capital projects during this period of reduced ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary work began in August during previously-planned outages for switch replacement on the  lines.  

“New Yorkers are justifiably focused on whether Washington will take action to provide COVID emergency relief, including for the MTA," said MTA Construction and Development President Janno Lieber. "But in the meantime, while the Senate and the Administration debate, here at the MTA we are working with our contractors, organized labor and our dedicated staff to complete projects at an unprecedented pace. But this progress can only continue if federal  leaders step up, and provide the $12 billion necessary to keep our transit system functioning.” 

“Our crews are taking advantage of lower ridership to complete work that will improve the reliability, performance and safety in Brooklyn and throughout our  system,” said NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg. “As riders continue to return to the system, we want to make sure there are as few disruptions as possible.” 

Like any major piece of infrastructure, subway tunnels are periodically in need of repairs. Time, water damage, shifting earth, and normal wear and tear can cause structural issues. Repairs will incorporate upgrades such as installation of drip pans and guardrails using 33,500 square feet of concrete and 12,500 tons of steel. Defects being addressed include concrete conditions, structural columns, roof beams repairs and water intrusion. 

During the weekends of Oct. 16-19, Oct. 23-26 and Nov. 6-9 from 9:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, the following service changes will be in effect:  

•  train service will run between Woodlawn and Bowling Green only and will not run to/from Brooklyn 
•  train service will run between 148 St and New Lots Av all weekend, operating local in Brooklyn 
• There are no planned changes to  service as a result of this work on these weekends. 

During the weekends of Nov. 13-16 and Nov. 20-23 from 9:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, the following service changes will be in effect:

• Weekend local-to-express reroute: 
• Work performed on one local track at a time between Atlantic Av and Franklin Av 
•  train service operates express in one direction between Atlantic Av and Franklin Av 
•  train service operates between Brooklyn and Manhattan and normally along Eastern Parkway 

• Weekend express-to-local reroute:
• Work performed on both express tracks between Atlantic Av and Franklin Av 
•  service operates local in both directions between Atlantic Av and Franklin Av 

The dates listed are for the remainder of 2020. Additional weekends will be announced in the future.  

Local elected officials and community boards have been notified about this work. 

The MTA has posted both print and digital signage in stations, along with announcements in stations and on trains. Customer service notifications are also available on the MTA website, the MYmta app and social media. Customers can also sign up for text and email alerts at www.myMTAalerts.com. 

More information can be found on the on the project’s webpage.