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L Train Shutdown Could Close Manhattan Stations on 14th Street, Report Says

By Gwynne Hogan | April 4, 2016 11:23am
 An L train shutdown could close stations along the line in Manhattan, a report said.
An L train shutdown could close stations along the line in Manhattan, a report said.
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DNAinfo/Heather Holland

MANHATTAN — An L train shutdown could close stations along 14th Street in Manhattan, in addition to the tunnel connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to reports.

The MTA said it has to close down the Canarsie Tube tunnels linking Manhattan and Brooklyn in order to repair damage done during Hurricane Sandy. The shutdown could take between 18 months for a full shutdown of both tunnels and three years if they decide to close one tunnel at a time, allowing limited service.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the shutdown could spread to Manhattan, closing the entire cross-borough subway line — one of the only few routes that crosses Manhattan east to west.

MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz wouldn't confirm the Journal's report and said that plans for the shutdown are still being developed.

News of the potential shutdown first broke in January. The MTA confirmed reports about the plan but has yet to release official details about the closure.

The MTA has also ducked calls from a coalition of Williamsburg businesses and community groups and Community Board 1 to release a report on the damages done during Sandy. The groups say they want a detailed report so an independent engineer can evaluate it and see if there are other alternatives besides shutting down the tunnel.

In February, the MTA met with politicians who were told that the agency would give more information to the public by the end of March.

A little more than a week ago, an MTA representative told U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney that any information about the shutdown would arrive after state officials had finished hammering out the year's budget, according a staff member at her office.