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Midtown Tunnel's Queens-Bound Tube to Close on Weeknights for 3 Months

By Noah Hurowitz | January 4, 2016 3:03pm
 The southbound tube of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel will close for restoration work on weeknights for the next 12 weeks.
The southbound tube of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel will close for restoration work on weeknights for the next 12 weeks.
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Flickr/ehavir

MIDTOWN EAST —The entire Queens-bound tube of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel will be closed overnight on weeknights for three months of scheduled Hurricane Sandy-related restoration work, officials said.

Starting on Monday night, the entire outbound tunnel will be closed from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 11 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, according to an MTA spokeswoman.

Drivers will still be able to get to Queens using a single lane in the tube normally reserved for Manhattan-bound traffic, restricting those driving into Manhattan to a single lane as well, officials said.

A spokeswoman urged motorists to plan ahead for delays. 

More than 40 percent of the tunnel was submerged during Hurricane Sandy. The tunnel reopened about 10 days after the storm, but the salt water wreaked havoc, causing extensive damage to electrical systems in the tubes, including traffic signals, the lighting system, and other infrastructure. 

Work on the tunnel is expected to last about 12 weeks, and is being funded by a four-year, $236.5 million grant from the MTA Bridges and Tunnels Capital Program and FEMA.