Some 33 elected officials are calling for the formation of interagency working group in order to lessen the pain of the impending 2019 L train shutdown.
In a joint letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast, the officials said that mitigation strategies for the shutdown will require “significant interagency coordination.”
“It is clear that mitigating the impacts of the closure requires bold action within and outside the MTA system,” they said in the letter. “A working group should be convened to facilitate collaboration and planning among relevant agencies. It would also serve as a forum for the community and advocates, including the L Train Coalition, to submit ideas and proposals and ensure they receive consideration.”
The officials, which represent federal, state and city governments, sent the letter a day after the MTA announced that it had decided to close the L train through Manhattan for 18 months to repair its Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel.
At the time of its announcement, the MTA and the city had pledged to work together to solidify commute alternatives.
Strategies that have been discussed include the beefing up of the J, M and G train and East River ferry service; dedicated shuttle bus lanes over the Williamsburg Bridge; bike infrastructure and the conversion of 14th Street to a “busway” to mimic the L’s Manhattan leg.
