Sorry, Folks, We Were Just Kidding. The L Train Won't Shut Down After All, Says Cuomo

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but does anyone feel like a betrayed spouse after Cuomo’s revelation the L train will not shut down after all?

Here’s what’s changed and what you need to know about the L train tunnel repair, in a nutshell:

• The tunnel is fine. The MTA needs to stop water leaking into an outer tunnel layer where electronics are housed, according to the New York Times.
• The MTA is going to use fiber optic system cables to detect water movement on the outer tunnel wall so they know where repair is needed, according to Gothamist.
• They’re going to wrap those walls in fiberglass instead of replace them to stop the leaking.
• The work will be done on nights and weekends and last 15 to 20 months.

In Cuomo’s own words, quoted in Gothamist:

What this group did is looked at the various needs, scoured the world, and came up with the best ideas across the world and then knit together a program,” Cuomo said. “No one has used fiber optic system cables on bench walls to detect motion. I don’t even know what that means. No one has ever used fiber glass wrapping on bench walls so you don’t have to replace them. This has never been done before.

Who knows? Maybe it will turn out the DOT was just joking about dismantling the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to repair the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

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