Although the water has long since receded, the MTA continues to address the damage Superstorm Sandy inflicted on the MTA system. The next project up is the Clark Street tunnel. The Clark Street Tunnel Reconstruction began June 16th, disrupting 2 and 3 service in Brooklyn. Much like the six tunnels repaired before this, the Clark Street Tubes were severely damaged by the hundreds of thousands of gallons of saltwater that flooded them during Sandy in 2012. The closures are required to repair and replace tracks, signals, power substations, water pumps, structural support, and other vital infrastructure in the tunnel.
Link to full MTA service information
The Clark Street tunnel is one of six that cross under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Average weekday ridership through the tunnel is upwards of 150,000 and average weekend ridership comes in at about 70,000. About 205,000 riders will be affected each weekend.
The repairs will occur over the course of 56 consecutive weekends, resulting in a number of service changes. The full weekend shut down follows the same “get in, get it done, and get out” mentality of similar projects and prevents displacement of weekday ridership. By restricting construction to weekends only, the MTA hopes to inconvenience the least number of riders.
Service along the 2 & 3 line will be changed throughout all three boroughs.
Manhattan:
- 2 trains are rerouted to the 1 Line south of Chambers St., terminating at South Ferry.
- 3 trains terminate at 14th St due to capacity limitations on the 1 Line.
Brooklyn:
- 2 & 3 trains do not run in Brooklyn.
- 4 trains will run local past Nevins and terminate at New Lots.
- 5 trains will run local past Nevins and terminate at Flatbush Ave.
Bronx:
- 2 and 5 trains north of E 180th St. will be switched. 2 trains terminate at Eastchester-Dyre Ave and 5 trains will terminate at Wakefield 214 St.
Select Stations will also be closed.
Stations Closed for 2/3 Service:
- Park Place
- Fulton St
- Wall St
- Clark St
- Borough Hall
- Hoyt St
While the closures will be painful for the slated 56 weekends, the work must be completed. Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bronx 2 & 3 riders will endure some weekend riding stress, but once the work is completed riders can be sure that their journeys will be safe from the damage that Sandy left behind.
Extended closures such as this are necessary to get vital repairs done as quickly as possible. In order to get our system into a state of good repair, lengthy weekend closures are invaluable. While extended repair work disrupt thousands of daily trips, so do unplanned subway failures, and at least this way we can all plan ahead. All of the unexpected delays of late are making us that much more aware of the need to get repair work done as fast and soon as possible. The ongoing Myrtle Avenue infrastructure projects are an extreme example of what must be done to provide future ongoing and efficient service. The longer we put off necessary upgrades and maintenance, the worse service will be in the future. No one enjoys the consequences of deferred signal upgrades and what happens when infrastructure can no longer keep up with a growing ridership.
Plan ahead, and safe travels!