Canarsie residents will finally have a chance to hear directly from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority how it proposes to accommodate L-train riders during the 18 months the so-called Canarsie Tunnel that links it to Manhattan will be shut down for repairs, when authority reps present its plans and take local’s questions at the Community Board 18 meeting on Feb. 21.
The presentation will be the first chance for Canarsie residents and other southern Brooklynites to meet the authority on their own turf, after a series open houses on the shutdown plans elsewhere in the borough.
“There have been lots of meetings around the city. This one we’re going to attend,” said Canarsie resident Marc Want.
The Canarsie Tunnel will close in 2019 so damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy can be repaired. Brooklynites in Canarsie and elsewhere will still be able to take the L train between the Canarsie and Bedford Avenue stations, however, and the city plans to expand other subway lines and bus routes to mitigate disruption, among other measures.
The CB18 presentation follows multiple open houses held by the authority in Williamsburg and Manhattan in January and February. Councilman Alan Maisel (D–Canarsie), welcomed the authority’s attendance at CB18.
“They’ve been keeping people informed and I’m glad they’re continuing to do that,” he said.
The L-train tunnel’s looming closure has long been a source of worry for Brooklynites, including people in Canarsie. The Canarsie Improvement Association, which Want heads, is demanding that a Manhattan-bound ferry stop be established in the nabe before the closure to provide relief for the thousands of commuters there who currently rely on the L train to take them to the distant isle. Want said he is eager to attend the meeting.
“Why can’t thousands of people who commute daily get a ferry?” Want said.
Community Board 18 Meeting [Community Board 18 office, 1097 Bergen Ave., between Avenue K and Ralph Avenue, (718) 241–0422. Feb. 21 at 7 pm].
