Hi there. Did you see the two water main breaks we had to deal with earlier this month? (No judgment if you missed it—we did have service back by the p.m. rush.) Maybe it was the newscasts of all that water (or just climate zeitgeist), but we've been getting a lot of questions lately about how we're protecting the L from future superstorms. Like the one that flooded the L tunnel. More on that below.
But first, a big shout out to the man, the legend, but definitely not a myth, Andy Byford, our departing NYCT president and favorite Brit. From the start, he's been an advocate for minimizing the mythical and maximizing the real-ness of this project in how we communicate with you. If you've enjoyed this punny newsletter, or successfully used fuchsia signage to make sense of service changes, know that Andy helped us make it happen.
So, this week, think #WWAD ("what would Andy do"), and make your travel and those around you a little easier. Take off those backpacks when boarding. Eat beans on toast, but not on a subway or bus. And of course, use the alternate service on the G, M and J instead of the L. He'll be chuffed to bits.
|
|
|
|
Throwback to that time a gondola would have been a more effective form of transportation in the L tubes. AKA, Superstorm Sandy's impact on the L, 2012.
Photo: Patrick Cashin / MTA / November 5, 2012
|
|
Flood-prevention 5: How we're protecting against future Superstorm Sandys
|
|
A few weeks ago, a little incident called half-a-million-gallons-of-water-flooding-the-subway happened. No, this wasn't another Sandy. (That was 7 million gallons in the L tunnel alone!). It was a major water main break near Lincoln Center.
Regardless, it had some of you harkening back to Sandy—we saw a spike in questions about flood protection in recent days. Mainly, what are we doing to prep the L in case of a future Sandy?
We've already talked about the "flex gates" we're installing at street-level. (See L Project Weekly issues #51 and #6 for this.) And how our new sump pumps are better equipped for water. (See L Project Weekly issue #28 for more.) But we haven't given you a full list of all these "resiliency" projects in one place!
|
|
Here are the top 5 things we're doing to make the L more resilient:
1. Installing flexible ways to seal openings at the street-level (vents, manholes, hatches). The "flex gates" we profiled before are in this bucket.
2. Hardening the N 7th fan plant structure. More on this another time, but overall, this means that we literally built a reinforced structure around the existing fan plant that can withstand a hurricane.
3. Upgrading the pumping system (increasing capacity, raising the controls, providing backup power).
4. Moving critical assets higher up and installing more flood-resistant equipment (i.e., cabling).
5. Non-L-Project-specific, but there are also system-wide initiatives we've been rolling out that are in effect for the L now: expanded hurricane emergency plan, bolstered incident response procedures and additional backup generators.
|
|
Upcoming L service changes
|
|
If you haven't already, save these dates and remember to use our free shuttle buses and the alternate service on the G, M and J these weekends:
Feb 14-18 weekend (Presidents' Day included): No L service in Brooklyn between Lorimer St and Broadway Junction.
Mar 20-23 weekend: No L service from 8 Av to Broadway Junction.
|
|
Translating transit speak: What are "manifolds"?
|
|
 When we talk about resiliency measures, discharge pipes and manifolds are always on the list. But what is a manifold? And how many are there?
In each tube, we're installing nine sets of manifolds. In the photo here, we have one set of these manifolds on a work train, ready to be installed. A manifold is a pipe with series of outlets with valves that connect the discharge pipes. They help us control and localize water through the discharge pipes. For the L Project (or any project within the NYC subway system), this is a specific kind of manifold called a "pump car manifold."
A few more quick facts:
- Each manifold set is comprised of two different parts: tees and 4" angle valves, which use a "Dixon type D coupler."
- The sets have 6 tees and 6 of the valve-plus-coupler combo.
- The total weight of each manifold set is 2,076 lbs (see—this is why we need work trains!).
So can you actually see these manifolds from the train? Only if you look carefully and don't get dizzy. Here's how: while in the tube, look out the window and angle your eyes as far down as possible. Look for the silver, shiny stuff—that's the discharge pipe. When that seems to stop for a hot second before starting up again, that's one of the nine manifold sets per tube, connecting the discharge pipes.
|
|
Glamour shot of the week: Stairway to fan plant
|
|
|
|
Human included for scale. This is the Brooklyn side of where the tube ends, right under the N 7th fan plant. This fan plant is key to our strategy to keep water out of the L tunnel. Look out for an explainer on this in an upcoming issue.
Photo: Trent Reeves / MTA / January 5, 2020
|
|
Construction look-ahead: Week of 1/25/2020
|
|
Yes, there are still more conduits and cables to install. Here's what we're working on in the week ahead:
- Install structural FRP panels in one zone
- Continue resilience work in the pump room, installing a new sliding door hood, bull rings, ladder and fan support system
- Install lots of conduits: for the negative crossover equalizers by the N 7th and Avenue D fan plants, pump room, new fare control, announcement system, new elevators at Bedford Av (yes, elevators—one goes from street to mezzanine, and one goes from mezzanine to platform)
- Install positive gap jumper
- Chop and pour back for the negative return rails near both fan plants
- Continue testing the fiber optic cable
- Program the new automated, energy-efficient light fixtures
|
|
|
|
|
