By Chris Engelhardt
Commuters who ride the G and R trains will have to find alternative routes to get around this summer, after the MTA announced last week that major construction is scheduled to repair damage in the tunnels that carry the lines caused by Hurricane Sandy.
The Montague Tube, which carries the R train between Manhattan and Brooklyn, will be closed for a 14-month period beginning the first week in August. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, on weekdays the R train will run between Forest Hills-71st Avenue in Queens to Whitehall Street-South Ferry in Manhattan and between Court Street and Bay Ridge-95th Street in Brooklyn.
On weekends, the R train will be rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge, skipping City Hall, as well as Cortlandt, Rector, Whitehall, Court and Jay streets. Overnight, the N train will also run over the Manhattan Bridge.
The Greenpoint Tube, which carries the G train between Long Island City and Brooklyn, will be closed for 12 55-hour-long weekends beginning July 6. The closures will extend from midnight Saturdays through 5 a.m. Mondays.
The northernmost three stops — Greenpoint Avenue, 21st Street and Court Square — will be closed during those weekends. G trains will run between Nassau and Church avenues and a shuttle bus will operate between Nassau Avenue and Court Square, making stops during the weekend closings.
During Hurricane Sandy, millions of gallons of saltwater flooded the tunnels, and the water severely damaged tracks, signals, switches and cables throughout the tunnels.
In the Greenpoint Tube, power cables were immersed in saltwater and are now corroding from the inside. The MTA also said controls for ventilation, lighting and communications systems were destroyed and have yet to be restored to pre-Sandy conditions.
Reach reporter Chris Engelhardt by e-mail at cengelhardt@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
