14th St. to close to cars during L train shutdown

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - About 400,000 commuters ride the L train every day from Brooklyn to Manhattan. Starting April 2019, all those riders will have to figure out another route when the L train shuts down for long-term repairs. The MTA announced the line will be closed for 15 months.

Work must be done on the 100-year-old Canarsie Tunnel, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn under the East River. It was flooded with corrosive saltwater during Superstorm Sandy.

The MTA said most of the inconvenienced L train riders will likely take the G, J, M, and Z subway lines instead. That means other commuters may also be impacted by more-crowded trains.

The shutdown of the L train will also affect drivers. During the morning and evening commute, 14th Street between 3rd Avenue and 9th Avenue eastbound and 3rd Avenue and 8th Avenue westbound will be closed to all traffic except buses.

Even though the shutdown isn't until 2019, other delays will happen on nights and weekends before then.