M Train Stop To Close For Repairs
Bushwick residents and workers who regularly use the Knickerbocker Avenue station on the M line will be inconvenienced for the next several months as the stop will be completely shut down as of this Saturday, Aug. 18, while the MTA makes repairs as part of its “station renewal” program.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, the station located at the corner of Myrtle and Knickerbocker avenues will be closed at all times as crews begin a major renovation of the deteriorated stop. The work is expected to take place through Jan. 21, 2013.
While the Knickerbocker Avenue station is closed, commuters are adby to use the B54 bus along Myrtle Avenue to reach either the Myrtle- Wyckoff Avenues or Central Avenue stations. During overnight hours, a special shuttle bus will supplement B54 service connecting riders from Knickerbocker Avenue to the two alternate stations.
Once that work is completed, the MTA will then fully shut the Central Avenue station, located at the corner of Myrtle and Central avenues in Bushwick, for a five-month period for similar repairs to the station’s mezzanine and platform areas.
The work is part of a $47 million “station renewal” project affecting the two M train stations in Bushwick as well as three other stops in Ridgewood: Seneca Avenue, Forest Avenue and Fresh Pond Road.
Officials from the MTA outlined plans for the Ridgewood stations during a previous meeting of Community Board 5’s Transportation and Public Transit committees.
The bulk of the work in Ridgewood is expected to take place at the Fresh Pond Road station, where crews will demolish the existing ramp leading to the station adjacent to the entrance to the Fresh Pond Road Depot. The ramp will be replaced by a new sidewalk and staircase.
Also on the work list are new fencing and lighting for the area, stairway repairs, the relocation of the token booth to a more central area of the mezzanine and the creation of a secondary entrance to the platform on the western end of the station.
Much of the improvements at the Forest Avenue and Seneca Avenue stations are focused on the stairwells and platform. The MTA plans to fix deteriorating steel and concrete, raising the height of the platform and installing new doors and stairwells.
While neither of the Ridgewood M train stations will be closed for extended periods for the duration of the project, frequent disruptions of weekend shuttle service on the line are anticipated in the months ahead.
