After 12 months, the L Train Tunnel (or the Canarsie Tunnel) has reopened as of yesterday, April 26.
Governor Cuomo made the announcement during yesterday’s daily coronavirus press conference update. The project was initially presented a huge issue for New Yorkers.
When it was first announced that the Canarsie Tunnel, which carries 400,000 people every single day between Manhattan and Brooklyn, had to be redone, officials said the tunnel would have to be shut down completely for 15-18 months, leaving tons of New Yorkers with a disrupted commute.
Cuomo shared the story (from his own perspective) of how he went into the tunnel with different engineers, and they suggested an alternative using European engineering techniques. They didn’t have to close the tunnel completely, but instead only partially close it on nights and weekends.
And now after 12 months, it has been completed and under budget at that. It also opened ahead of schedule, as it was estimated to take 15 months. Most of the repairs were needed due to Hurricane Sandy damage, plus its general age.
He said he was sharing the story as an example of how we should question “why we do what we do? Why do we do it that way? And why can’t we do it a different way?”
He emphasized that the shutdown has given us an opportunity to rebuild a better society than was here before this all took place,” if we think “outside the box” in a way, like he did with the tunnel.
“If you don’t run risk of change,” he said. “You don’t have benefit of advancement.”
See also: 10 Observations Anyone Who Commutes On The NYC Subway Can Relate To
featured image source: MTA