MTA opens new entrance at 1 Av L Station, announces early completion of street restoration on 14th Street

Two L Project milestones have been reached with the 1 Av station entrance at Avenue A south now open to the public and the majority of work on the 14th Street sidewalk restoration expected to be completed more than six months ahead of schedule, according to an announcement from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

“The L Project started as a post-Sandy resiliency project, but it has now grown to include much more, with capacity and accessibility improvements along the L and other subway lines. We hit yet another positive milestone today with the opening of the first of two new station entrances at 1 Av,” said MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber. “We’re ahead of schedule for the entire project, and it’s satisfying when customers can reap the benefits as the job advances. And thanks to the revised construction approach, we’re getting all this work done without impacting service for the vast majority of the L Train’s 300,000 daily riders.”

The L Project encompasses the rehabilitation of the Canarsie L Tube, which carries L trains between Brooklyn and Manhattan and was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The project also includes new power infrastructure to support L train service, several station improvement projects to increase public space and accessibility at stations on the L line and several J, M, Z lines that provide alternate subway service during the project. The tunnel rehabilitation, which began in April 2019 using a modified 15- to 18-month construction plan that preserves regular subway service for 90 percent of L riders, is currently months ahead of schedule and set to finish in 12 months. In addition to an early construction timeline for the tunnel work, several related construction projects are also ahead of schedule, including the capacity improvement projects at 1 Av L and sidewalk restoration on 14th Street.

Nearly 21,000 weekday customers will benefit from the increased capacity at 1 Av, which has seen significant ridership growth of 60 percent from 2000 to 2018. The L Project improvements at 1 Av include:

·      Two new platform-to-street ADA elevators, one on either side of 14th Street near Avenue A. They are estimated to open summer 2020, also ahead of schedule.

·       Four new street entrances, two on either side of 14th Street near Avenue A, each 7.5-feet wide.

·       Two new turnstile areas, adding 600-square feet of public space.

·       Reconstructed infrastructure of the original entrances on First Avenue.

·       New wall tiles, energy-efficient lighting and new turnstiles.

·       New substation near Avenue B to power more trains along the whole L line, one of three for the project.

The revised construction schedule at 1 Av was designed to open the new entrances with temporary finishes as soon as they are ready, then close the original entrances for reconstruction in a phased schedule. Two entrances will remain open at the 1 Av station. With the opening of the new entrance at Avenue A south, the First Avenue south entrance will close for reconstruction next week. The phasing schedule is as follows:

·       Nov. 4: New permanent Avenue A south entrance opens with temporary finishes.

·       Nov. 11: Existing First Avenue south entrance closes for structural reconstruction.

·       Upcoming, timing to be announced: New Avenue A north entrance to open with temporary finishes.

·       Upcoming, timing scheduled for one week after Avenue A north entrance opening: First Avenue north entrance to close for structural construction.

·       April 2020: Avenue A south and north entrances to close for final finishes while First Avenue south and north entrances to reopen.

Schedule for 14th Street restoration

Under the original plan, street restoration was expected to be completed in May 2020. Under the early timeline, most street restoration activities will be completed at Avenue A by January 2020 and work zones will be reduced to limited areas like the elevators and First Ave entrances.

Phasing schedule for 14th Street restoration includes:

Work zone 1 (north side of 14th Street, east of First Avenue): Sidewalk restoration completed by mid-August 2019; street restoration currently underway and on track to be completed by January 2020.

Work zone 2 (northwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue A): New entrance and new elevator

·       Phase 1: Sidewalk restoration to be completed mid-November 2019.

·       Phase 2: Temporary laydown area constructed from mid-November to mid-December 2019, with 30 parking spaces to be restored in spring 2020.

·       Phase 3: Work zone area reduced to area around new elevator from mid-December 2019 through summer 2020.

Work zone 3 (southwest corner of 14th Street and Avenue A): New entrance and new elevator

·       Phase 1: Sidewalk restoration was completed in September 2019.

·       Phase 2: Opening of the Avenue A south entrance on Nov. 4 with temporary finishes, will close again in April 2020 for final finishes. Barricade around new elevator will remain through summer 2020.

Work zone 4 (northwest corner of 14th St and Avenue B): New substation

·       Phase 1: Sidewalk restoration is currently underway; street restoration will be completed in spring 2020. Approximately 15 parking spaces will be restored at that time.