‘M’-ageddon is nigh for those who rely on the M train to get around.
A month before the MTA shuts down the M train between Middle Village and Bushwick for two months, riders will get a taste of their future as the line will be closed for four weekends in June, beginning this Friday, June 2, for the placement of cranes throughout Ridgewood in preparation of the full closure in July.
According to an MTA advisory that QNS received, the scheduled preparatory work will consist of, but is not limited to, the staging of street cranes, track panels and related materials at the designated crane sites.
The location of cranes will be as follows:
- Forest Avenue between Putnam and 67th avenues;
- Madison Street between Fairview and Woodward avenues;
- Woodward Avenue between Woodbine and Madison streets;
- Woodbine Street between Woodward and Onderdonk avenues;
- St. Nicholas Avenue between Gates Avenue and Palmetto Street; and
- Cypress Avenue between Gates Avenue and Palmetto Street.
All street closures in conjunction with the placement of the cranes will take place between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Fridays, and 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
The MTA announced that they will have a maximum of two crane sites per weekend be placed adjacent to the elevated structure for the purpose of lifting and lowering track panels and materials during the weekends of work listed below. Crane locations are to be determined by which section of track is being replaced on that specific weekend.
To deal with traffic associated with the placement of cranes, there will be flagging and traffic devices for the public’s safety, the MTA noted.
There will be no parking on Palmetto Street between Onderdonk and Myrtle avenues to allow for one lane of traffic to flow through the area. Parking will also be restricted at each crane location for 150 feet along each curb lane to allow for the placement of the crane and materials.
The preparation work will commence on Friday, June 2, between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., while track work will take place on Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Regular M train service will resume at 5 a.m. on Monday, June 6.
The second weekend of work will begin on Friday, June 16, between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. with prep work, and the track work will start on Saturday, June 17, and will continue on Sunday, June 18, during the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Regular M train service will resume at 5 a.m. on Monday, June 19.
The third weekend of work is scheduled to start on Friday, June 23, at the same time as previous weekends’ prep work. The track replacement will take place on Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25, during the same time frame as the other weekends. Again, regular M train service will resume at 5 a.m. on Monday, June 26.
The last weekend of preparatory work is set to begin on Friday, June 30, during the same time as the other prep work, while track replacement work is set to begin on Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2, at the same time as prior weekends associated with this project.
During the first three weekends of work, M train service between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle Ave-Broadway will be suspended between the hours of 12:01 a.m. Saturdays and 5 a.m. Mondays, with normal M train service running from Essex Street to Broadway Junction.
The final weekend of work will overlap with the start of Phase I of the Myrtle Avenue Viaduct Project, so riders should be aware that regular M train service will not return on Monday, July 3. Instead, all M train service between the Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue station and the Myrtle Avenue-Broadway stop will be suspended 24/7 from July 1 to Sept. 1 with train service to be replaced by free shuttle buses making stops at all closed stations.
All dates are subject to change. Commuters with any questions should check www.mta.info for any and all service updates.
