Hi there. Two weeks in. How are things looking? You've taken our advice and are using the M and J in big numbers. Keep it up, and see below for a full report. Construction-wise, we're on track and doing demo (appropriate glamour shot below). And while we're mostly looking forward, we wanted to give the proper kudos to an already-completed job that's making this whole operation work: that Myrtle Viaduct.
And thank you to everyone who wrote in with your stories about taking other options. Many of you commented on how you hadn't considered taking the M to midtown before (as opposed to the L + connecting line) and enjoyed it. A few of you told us that while the M14 was more frequent than the L, it felt slower because of traffic. Thanks for letting us know. We went out and timed the M14 (on a weeknight when there was a 10 minute wait for an L), and found that it did still beat the L headed from 8 Av to 1 Av. But we're certainly still working with NYPD to keep buses moving and are definitely looking forward to June.
Have a great weekend, and keep the comments/questions coming.
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Everything you need to know about repairing viaducts
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Riding the M on nights and weekends instead of the L? Good recon! Now take out your earbuds and tell us if you hear any difference.
You should. At that rebuilt stretch of track along the Myrtle Viaduct (between the Central Av and Myrtle Av Stations on the M), we installed new low-vibration track (LVT) for a smoother, quieter ride. Not many sections of our system have LVT, so enjoy.
New velvety rails are just one tiny part of what our teams did to prep the M line ahead of the L tunnel rehab. What sort of work? We asked our project folks about their full-court press to rebuild the entire Myrtle Viaduct. Here’s what we found out.
Doing a total viaduct rebuild in 10 months isn’t easy. First, you have to find an expert on viaducts. Luckily, we have one: Syed Abbas, the NYC Transit construction administrator who ran the project:
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Syed Abbas: We don’t have many of these viaducts in our system, and they knew I had experience with an even bigger one. So I came off my other responsibilities and focused on the Myrtle Viaduct for 10 months.
L Project Weekly: So the Myrtle Viaduct needed work if it was going to run proper M train service for customers during the L tunnel rehab?
SA: It’s over 100 years old, built in 1913. It’s almost all concrete, the deck and supports, and while we had a supporting structure, the concrete was deteriorating. It was time to rebuild it.
LPW: What does the Myrtle Viaduct have to do with the L train?
SA: We always planned to use the M as a key alternative for customers. To replace the whole viaduct we had to shut down a section of the M line, from where it crosses over the L at the Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs Station down to the viaduct. If we didn’t have that work finished before the L tunnel work started, that would be a real headache for our customers.
LPW: And this was no small job.
SA: Massive. We took down the whole structure, then installed over [200] pilings. The whole 310-foot deck was precast, which is kind of unique. Lots of quality control. We had the structural steel made in Pennsylvania, then shipped it to Massachusetts, where we precast the deck panels. Each panel is about 22 to 29 tons. Then we trucked them to the site.
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LPW: So, what was the hardest part of the whole job?
SA: You have to plan every step exactly. In some places we were just 1 ft. away from a private property line. We had to work with very tight restrictions and track alignments. Even a tiny error means you miss the J line connection. To get it right, we drew elevations for every step and had super-strict quality control.
LPW: Like threading a huge needle.
SA: Absolutely. And it’s hard for the community too. We relocated the whole block ahead of time. The MTA took care of everybody, but nobody likes that. My biggest concern, day and night, was to reduce stress for the community and our customers. That was my goal. Get it done right. Get it done on time to minimize stress for customers.
LPW: So your team got it done on time?
SA: Yes! We had a great team who got it done on schedule and on budget.
LPW: Music to the ears! Great job, everyone. So our L customers now have M trains every 8 minutes during the busiest times on nights and weekends, right when they need it.
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By the numbers (so far): M, J, G, L and M14 ridership
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It's been two weeks, which our planners tell us is enough time for a preliminary look at how many of you have taken our advice to use other subways and buses instead of the L.
The highlights (numbers look at ridership on the weekends during busiest times):
- By station, L ridership has decreased up to 50 percent .
- By station, J and M ridership has increased on average over 60 percent between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
- G ridership has also gone up—by about 35 percent—between Brooklyn and Court Square Station in Queens.
- M14 ridership has risen by about 35 percent, and we're projecting even more once we launch Select Bus Service in June.
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Two-track Tuesday: Why L service will look a little different once a month
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Did you know that we follow federally mandated guidelines for our track inspections? Yep. We have to do regular inspections all throughout our system. For the L, this means that once a month, we'll take a break from the tunnel work and instead do our track inspections.
For you, this means that nighttime L service will look a little different once a month—this month, it'll happen on Tuesday, May 14.
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We'll be running two-track service so we can do the inspections, but service will stay reduced to about every 10-12 minutes after 10 p.m., with a similar ramp-down starting at 8 p.m.
What won't change is the alternate service options: same extended M train service, more G service, two Williamsburg Link bus routes, and more.
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Construction look-ahead: Week of 5/11/19
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We are continuing much of the work we talked about last week. Here are the highlights of what we're working on in the week ahead:
- Swap out old track plates and ties for a more comfortable ride
- Set up enclosure; conduct duct bank wall shaving and demolition
- Install electrical conduit from track level at Avenue D fan plant
- Install brackets and junction boxes
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Glamour shot of the week: Demolition
There's not a lot of it, but we're getting it done
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Bobcat machine inside of the enclosed dust containment area. This machine is used to maximize efficiency of wall duct demolition.
Photo: Trent Reeves / MTA Capital Construction / Saturday, May 4, 2019
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Update: About that fan plant
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In case you missed it last week, we wrote about the two fan plants that flank the L tunnel, built in 1916. Update: since the one in Williamsburg is now surrounded by residences along the previously industrial waterfront, this week, we started to test out a few methods to potentially minimize the noise the fan plant emits when used.
It's going to take some time as we build and try out a few different structures and see if anything works to reduce the noise. So we'll be back with an update once we're able to test how effective these are.
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Customer question of the week
Q: The M Train always stops and crawls through the brand new Viaduct. It adds at least 5 minutes onto the already long commute. I thought we fixed it? - anonymous
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A: You're right that we fixed it—we rebuilt the whole structure (see above article). Because of the density of the surrounding neighborhood, we had to build it in exactly the same spot, which also meant that we had to keep the track curves the same as before.
It's these sharp track curves (overhead shot below) that slow down the trains. For example, for Manhattan-bound M trains, the speed limit is 10 MPH just outside of the Myrtle Av Station.
At this particular spot, you might experience some additional slowness because it's also where the switch is for the Ms to merge with the Js. So if there is a Manhattan-bound J train in the Myrtle Av Station, then the Manhattan-bound M has to pause temporarily until the J has left the station.
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Get in touch
- Sign up for our text alerts
- Call 511 and say "subways" then "L train"
- Tweet @NYCTSubway with #LProject
- Ask a team member: We're still going to have lots of staff out from 8 Av to Lorimer St over the weekend. Look for someone with a pink button that says "Ask me about the L Project"
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Learn more and stay connected
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