Residents of Ozone Park and Richmond Hill in Queens face a nine-day subway shutdown in November. From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, until 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, A trains will not run between the Rockaway Blvd and Ozone Park–Lefferts Blvd stations.
The MTA announced the closure on Monday. During that time, crews will replace track, ties, the third rail and switches near the 104 St station. The work prepares the line for installation of new digital CBTC signaling, which will replace equipment, some of it dating to the 1930s. According to an NYC Transit representative, it involves replacing the oldest signal equipment in the entire subway system.
A trains, which usually end their runs at Lefferts Blvd, will instead run from Rockaway Blvd along the branch to the Howard Beach–JFK Airport station. Free replacement buses will run around the clock on the section without subway service, with stops including 104 St and 111 St. According to amNY, buses are expected to depart every 3 to 5 minutes during rush hours and every 10 minutes outside of rush hours. Riders will transfer at the Rockaway Blvd station, which is accessible to people with disabilities.
The work is part of a $1.9 billion project to modernize the Fulton and Liberty Avenue lines, from Brooklyn to Ozone Park. The project is funded almost entirely by the fee for driving into central Manhattan (congestion pricing). The MTA says further disruptions are planned in the coming months.
Source: MTA, amNewYork
KN
