By Michael V. Cusenza
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) on Tuesday said she has spent months coordinating with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to secure alternative public transit routes as the A train is set to be temporarily shut down beginning Friday, Jan. 17.
For the next 17 weeks, the A train will not run past the Howard Beach Station, impacting Broad Channel and the Rockaway Peninsula. The MTA is conducting major upgrades to help protect the line from future storms and ensure reliable service for over 9,000 daily riders.
According to MTA officials, the Rockaway Line Rehabilitation & Resiliency Project will address the extensive damage to the A line wrought by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. While emergency repairs restored service seven months after the storm, Hammels Wye Viaduct and South Channel Bridge that carry trains across Broad Channel require extensive rehabilitation and repair work to ensure these structures withstand future extreme weather events.
The MTA will be completely reconstructing and rebuilding the Hammels Wye Viaduct, an elevated structure that allows A train service to split between west-bound to Rockaway Park and east-bound to Far Rockaway. The project also will make critical repairs to the South Channel Bridge. Together, Hammels Wye and the South Channel Bridge link the Rockaway Peninsula with the rest of Queens and are part of a $393 million investment to ensure reliable service on the Rockaway Line for the next 50 years.
On Tuesday, Pheffer Amato announced that between Friday night on Jan. 17 and Monday morning on Jan. 20, the following alternative services are available:
For service to/from affected stations, there will be free transfer/shuttle buses which will run on three routes:
- Nonstop between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue
- Between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue, making all stops: Broad Channel, Beach 90 Street, Beach 67 Street, Beach 60 Street, Beach 44 Street, Beach 36 Street, and Beach 25 Street
- Between Howard Beach and Rockaway Park-Beach 116 Street, stopping at Broad Channel, Beach 98 Street, and Beach 105 Street
Starting Jan. 20, the following alternatives will be available while the A train is shut down:
Free shuttle bus service along two routes:
- The Q97 bus which will run between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway
- The Q109 bus which will run from Howard Beach to Beach 67th Street via Broad Channel and Beach 90th Street
- Tickets from the Far Rockaway LIRR station to Manhattan’s Grand Central/Penn Station or Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal will cost $2.75, less than the current subway fare
- There will be free subway shuttle service across the Rockaway Peninsula in both directions from Beach 116th Street Station to Mott Avenue free of charge during the duration of the construction
“I was not going to allow anyone to be completely cut off and have no access to public transportation. I appreciate that the MTA worked with our community to provide acceptable alternatives, and more options to follow as we go through this process,” said Pheffer Amato.
