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Hello. Recently, it feels like talking about the L Project isn't the most important thing, given everything going on. But then we remembered what this project is all aboutresiliency. And resiliencythe ability to flex under pressure and bounce back afterward—is more important than ever in times of crises.

So what can the L Project teach us about resiliency? We share a short-list of our favorite stories to inspire you.

Plus, staying on the resilience theme, we talk cables and cable racks in another edition of L Project transit trivia. 

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Creating resiliency takes fresh perspectives. For the L Project, that meant rethinking cable management, among other things.

Photo: Trent Reeves / MTA / November 18, 2019

What the L Project can teach us about resiliency

Resiliency and the L Project. What do you think of first? Preventing another Superstorm Sandy-type of impact? 

Us, too. That's why we're here in the first place. But in thinking more about what it means to be resilient in the face of a crisis like the one we're in now, we came across many other L Project examples that tell a bigger story. Individuals across a big organization working to collaborate as a new kind of team. Women overcoming the challenge of working in a male-dominated industry. A new approach to managing cables so they can be upgraded more easily.

Here are five qualities of resiliency and some reading recommendations to keep you going during this tough time:

SYSTEMS-THINKING
Flood prevention takes following the water...all the way to the fan plants.

Resiliency means thinking not just about the one thing you're trying to protect, but rather about the whole system. It's why as many of us as possible are staying home now to #StoptheSpread. It's also why our L Project flood-prevention plan extended to...fan plants?

DECENTRALIZATION
The Slack channel that saved the L Project.

People on station platforms. In the Rail Control Center. At MTA HQ. All of these teams needed to work as one unit to make the L Project go smoothly. Their story about using a new communications tool is a case study in turning a decentralized team into an advantage during a crisis.

REDUNDANCY
Trains need power. Power needs a back up plan. Substations step in.
Planning for the worst is a balance. We're all living it now. How do we expend our limited resources in a way that makes sense for keeping things moving now AND in case something goes wrong in the future? For the L Project, we chose to invest in a long-term safety net: more substations. Yes, they mean we can run more trains on the L line. But they are also our key to redundancy in a complicated power system.

DIVERSITY
Women are working in construction. Their fresh perspectives changed the L Project.

Managing crises takes thinking of everything. And diversity in experiences and knowledge makes that possible. Our women working on the L Project share their stories on how they brought this diversity.

FLEXIBILITY
Technology changes. Cable racking systems make it easier to upgrade.
Resiliency means not being locked into one thing. That's what inspired us as we looked to mount our cables into cable racking systems instead of permanently encasing them in concrete. Read below!
Get more stories→

Transit trivia: Cables and cable racks edition

We got a lot of positive feedback on last week's FRP fresh facts. Keeping with the resiliency theme and doing a deeper dive into some elements as we approach the tunnel completion, here are three new tidbits about our cable racking system:

1. The new cable racking system is stainless steel and is 20 inches high. We customized it with what are called "open-pocket" style arms—having them means we can quickly take cables off of the racks for maintenance, or upgrade them with new technology in the future. Now that's resilient.

2. The cable racking system is made up of several 12 ft-long sections. Each piece is bonded together using a special material designed to reduce what's called "stray current." This protective measure is important because stray current can cause corrosion.

3. To be compliant with fire protection codes, we used fire-resistive metal clad cables. Each cable has a cover on it called a "low-smoke zero-halogen jacket." Additionally, where the cables are spliced and connected, the material used to connect them is designed to withstand total water submersion

Glamour shot of the week: Lighting the way to resiliency

Still looking for more uplifting examples of resiliency? One more then: our greener, easier to maintain lighting system. It automatically tells us if one of the lights is out, which means less time wasted by our crews on unnecessary inspections, and less time disrupting trains to do it.
 
Photo: Trent Reeves  / MTA / September 9, 2019

Construction look-ahead: Week of 4/11/2020

Finishing touches on the drainage system, more work on the Bedford Av station expansion and lots of testing:
  • Review and work on the final checklist items between Bedford Av and 1 Av Stations
  • Work on checklist items for the electrical system
  • Pour concrete for the remaining new drains near Bedford Av
  • Remove the temporary tunnel lighting and power system in the current tube
  • Advance the mezzanine expansion at Bedford Av: Install conduit and wire, new firm alarm cables and smoke detectors and cellular fiber cable
  • Continue testing the new pumps in the pump room
  • Continue installing the new cellular equipment from Bedford Av to 1 Av Stations
See our full construction plan→

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