Manhattan-Bound Service Stopped At 7 Subway Stations Along N Line For Renovations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Subway riders who take the N Train from Brooklyn to Manhattan are getting a taste of what their commute will be like for a while.
But given the holiday, the real test will come on Tuesday morning.
"I think it's crazy. It's insane," one commuter said.
At 5 a.m. Monday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority began a $395 million renovation project on nine different subway stations along the N line, CBS2's Scott Rapoport reported.
The result is that service at seven of those nine stations for Manhattan-bound riders will be stopped for the next 14 months – until the spring of 2017.
The affected stations are Eighth Avenue-Fort Hamilton Parkway, New Utrecht Avenue, 18th Avenue, 20th Avenue, Bay Parkway, Kings Highway, Avenue U, and 86th Street.
"All at one time? You could 't have done one station at a time? Ridiculous," said a commuter named Anthony.
For many Manhattan-bound Brooklynites, the closures meant having to go backwards to the Bay Parkway stop -- or even the terminal at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue. They then had to race to switch trains on the other side of the tracks, and then head back in the opposite direction on the N Line to get into Manhattan -- passing right through the closed stations.
"Sometime we have to go through to Coney Island and then back to Manhattan," Domenech said. "I mean, it's ridiculous."
"(It) means I have to get up at half hour earlier," said Joe Ruggiero of Bensonhurst.
The needs for renovations are obvious, The Bay Parkway subway station in Bensonhurst is more than 100 years old, and it's definitely showing its age — graffiti is everywhere, and paint is peeling right off the ceiling.
The renovations will include improved subway platforms, stairs, new elevators and more handicapped accessibility at some stations.
And some who ride the rails said the work just has to get done.
"It's great; it's about time -- especially with the elevators," one commuter said. "It's about time."
"As long as everyone gets to work, that's all that matters," another rsaid.
Once this phase of the construction is completed, the MTA will being renovations on the Brooklyn-bound portion of the N line. That work is also expected to take 14 months.
For more information on the project, CLICK HERE.