Shutdown Option for L-Train Tunnel Gains Support

About 400,000 people ride the L train daily and more than half of those cross the East River

A growing number of New Yorkers apparently would prefer a complete shutdown of the L-train's East River tunnel for 18 months to having extremely limited service for three years.

A survey conducted by Riders Alliance shows that 77 percent of those who responded said they want the Metropolitan Transit Authority to close the tunnel and finish the construction project as soon as possible.

The MTA plans to begin repairs to the tunnel, which links Manhattan to Brooklyn, in 2019. The tunnel was damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy.

The MTA's 18-month plan would halt L-train service between the two boroughs for the duration of the project.

The three-year option would keep a set of tracks open, but allow only 20 percent of normal service between Manhattan and Brooklyn.

About 400,000 people ride the L train daily and more than half of those cross the East River.

The MTA and the city's transportation officials are working on strategies to increase bus service and develop other transportation alternatives to compensate for the loss of L-train service.

Riders Alliance, a nonprofit group, on Tuesday sent a letter to the MTA urging the agency to choose the "painful but faster" 18-month option.

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