QUEENS — Beginning Friday, straphangers riding the R train should expect to face delays due to construction work in an East River subway tunnel, which will disrupt service for the next 14 months, the MTA said.
The mile-long Montague Tube, which links downtown Brooklyn to lower Manhattan, suffered extensive damage during Superstorm Sandy, after it was flooded with saltwater causing equipment corrosion, the agency said.
The tunnel was closed for nearly two months after the storm, but its damaged infrastructure, including rusting signals and tracks, requires further work, the MTA said.
The work, which is estimated to cost about $300 million, will also reduce the subway system’s vulnerability in the future, the agency said.
“Our goal is to complete this work as quickly and efficiently as possible while exposing our customers to as little inconvenience as we possibly can,” said Carmen Bianco, acting president of NYC Transit.
During the construction period, beginning Aug. 2 at 11:30 p.m. the R train will be running over the Manhattan Bridge, the MTA said.
The Greenpoint Tube was also damaged during Sandy. Work on the G tunnel has been underway for three weekends and will continue over another nine weekends this year.
In addition, a five-weekend shutdown is planned for 2014, the agency said.
