Unfortunately it looks like the subway is going to be causing us more headaches than usual in the near future as structural fixes to the Williamsburg Bridge will negatively impact the J and M lines causing disruptions.
Skanska USA, a leading global construction and development firm, announced last month that the NYC DOT had awarded it a contract to get started on the $167 million rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Bridge. The project will improve and replace aging components across the structure, eventually improving transportation flow.
However, preliminary schedules published in contract documents show the J and M services will be negatively impacted by this.
The two lines will be forced to close for 25 weekends between 2023 and 2024, closing two weekends per month from May through October 2023, and from April through September 2024.
Bike and pedestrian paths along the bridge may also be affected by the project, causing them to close on nights and weekends throughout 2023 and 2024.
The project, which began in October of this year, is expected to wrap up in mid-2025 according to documents. While that definitely seems like a long time to be dealing with subway issues, infrastructure repairs are definitely a step in the right direction.