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 * Manhattan Bridge subway closure

The four New York City Subway tracks on the Manhattan Bridge, a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, were partially closed for renovations between 1982 and 2004. This was due to severe deterioration on the bridge that resulted from one pair of tracks being more heavily used than the others.

There are two tracks on each edge of the Manhattan Bridge. The northern tracks, under the Manhattan-bound upper roadway, are on the east side of the bridge and serve the from the IND Sixth Avenue Line. The southern tracks, under the Brooklyn-bound upper roadway, are on the west side of the bridge and serve the from the BMT Broadway Line. A center roadway carrying three lanes is located on the lower level and separate the two pairs of subway tracks.

The Manhattan Bridge was used by subway trains starting in the 1910s. The Broadway Line initially used the north tracks to connect to Midtown Manhattan, while the BMT Nassau Street Line used the south tracks to connect to Lower Manhattan; this was changed in 1967 with the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection, which resulted in the current service pattern. Since more traffic traveled to Midtown Manhattan, the eastern side was used more often, and the Manhattan Bridge started leaning toward its eastern side.

Background
There are two pairs of subway tracks, one on each side of the Manhattan Bridge. In Manhattan, the subway tracks are fed by the IND Sixth Avenue Line, which uses the north tracks on the eastern side of the bridge, and the BMT Broadway Line , which uses the south tracks on the western side of the bridge. On the Brooklyn end, they feed into the BMT Brighton Line at the DeKalb Avenue station, and to the BMT Fourth Avenue Line's express tracks  at Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center.

The feeder lines for the Brooklyn side of the tracks have not changed since subway service began on the Manhattan Bridge. It has always been fed by tracks from the BMT Fourth Avenue Line and the BMT Brighton Line; however, the junction between the lines was reconstructed in 1956, and Myrtle Avenue subway station, just near the foot of the bridge, was closed. On the Manhattan side, however, the two north tracks originally connected to the BMT Broadway Line (where the south tracks now connect) while the two south tracks curved south to join the BMT Nassau Street Line towards Chambers Street. This connection has been severed and the tracks are now used for storage.

On November 26, 1931, a connection south of Chambers Street to the Montague Street Tunnel opened, adding two stations (Fulton Streets and Broad) and rerouted train service on the bridge's south side. Service on that side became relatively low afterward as the only trains that normally crossed it were The Bankers’ Special, which ran from either the Sea Beach and/or Fourth Avenue Line, crossed the Manhattan Bridge or Montague Street Tunnel into Manhattan, and then returned to Brooklyn via the opposite crossing.

Concurrent with the building of the Chrystie Street Connection (opened November 26, 1967) to connect to the north tracks, the south tracks were rerouted to the BMT Broadway Line connection, and the connecting tracks to the BMT Nassau Street Line were severed. Thereafter, and  trains were routed via the north side of the bridge, while the  and  routes were moved to the south side of the bridge for service to Broadway. At the time, the B train continued to Brooklyn using the BMT West End Line, while the D and Q trains used the Brighton Line and the N used the BMT Sea Beach Line.

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Closures
Since the tracks are on the outer part of the bridge, passing trains caused the structure to tilt and sway. The wobble worsened as train cars became longer and heavier. Eventually, when one train moved over the bridge one side would be three feet lower than the other side, severely damaging the structure. In 1956, a repair program was begun at a cost of $30 million. Trains still crossed the bridge, but many times one of the tracks had to be closed with both routes using a single-track, which further restricted the number and size of the trains crossing.

Even after the 1956 repairs, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) failed to maintain the bridge properly, and a major repair program began in the 1980s. Changes to subway service patterns started in 1983. Because of the large scope of these repairs, there was limited train access to the bridge, reducing the number of trains that could cross the span. In addition, the loss of tracks on the bridge reduced the NYCTA's ability to reroute trains to mitigate the effects of delays, increasing the length and severity of delays.

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1982
On March 18, 1982, the New York City Board of Estimate approved a $5.7 million amendment to the capital budget, which provided funding to begin reconstruction work on the Manhattan Bridge by the end of the fiscal year. The City Council approved the amendment on March 30. The change, which was requested by Mayor Ed Koch, increased the money available that year for the first two phases of the project to $10.1 million. The entire project was estimated to cost $85.8 million. The reconstruction was to include the installation of new brackets underneath the floor beams, which support the upper roadway, and the rehabilitation of frame supports for the bridge's subway tracks. Work was expected to begin in June and be completed in about seven years. The entire project was administered by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

On May 24, 1982, during a routine inspection, a cracked steel beam was found between the Manhattan tower and the shoreline. The beam was part of a truss support that was not part of the original bridge structure. The New York City Transit Authority took a precautionary measure and limited subway service over the bridge to its south side. B, D, N and QB service was disrupted for over a week. B service was split in two sections: between Coney Island and 36th Street in Brooklyn and between Second Avenue and either 57th Street or 168th Street. D service was also split in two sections: between 57th Street–Seventh Avenue on the BMT Broadway Line and Brighton Beach, and between 205th Street and Broadway–Lafayette Street. N service operated at a reduced speed, QB service was suspended and the Grand Street station was closed. Normal subway service resumed once the beam was replaced. Starting on May 27, one westbound lane was closed to vehicular traffic until the beam was repaired.

In June 1982, the first major contract on the bridge's repair project, worth $6.6 million, was awarded. The first portions of the project addressed emergency conditions, repairing thousands of hairline cracks formed by torsional stress. 5,500 of the bridge's 22,000 separate steel members had this type of crack. The bridge project eliminated the bridge's structural instability, which resulted from the presence of its four subway tracks. According to George Zaimes, who was the director of engineering fo the city office of the NYSDOT, every time a train crossed the bridge, the span moved "down as much as four feet on one side and up as much as four feet on the other." This large vertical movement resulted in the formation of cracks. He said that, compared to the Williamsburg Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge "is under considerably greater stress because trains on it travel along the edges of the span." In order to strengthen the bridge, additional structural members were added to strengthen the bridge frame. In addition, the bridge floor under the subway tracks on the bridge was rebuilt during one phase. The project was estimated to be completed in 10 years, but Zaimes acknowledged that the project might have to be stretched out if there was not enough funding.

During the weekend of August 14–15, 1982, subway service over the bridge was rerouted, and Manhattan-bound lanes on the bridge's roadway were closed so a new floor-beam support system could be installed.

1983
On July 7, 1983, the NYCTA held a public hearing to propose two phases of subway changes to allow necessary work on the bridges to take place. The changes were requested by the NYSDOT to use concrete to strengthen the subway roadbeds. According to the regional director of the NYSDOT, any delay in the repairs could have forced a full closure of the bridge in the future. The work completed in the twelve weeks that subway service was diverted cost $7 million. While closing the entire bridge would have sped up work, this was not done to inconvenience fewer people.

During the first phase, which was originally going to be in effect from July 11 to August 28, B service would be split in two sections. The northern half would operate between either 57th Street or 168th Street and West Fourth Street. The southern half would operate between Coney Island and 57th Street–Seventh Avenue via the BMT Broadway Line. D service was also split in two. The northern section would operate from 205th Street to West Fourth Street, while the southern would operate from Brighton Beach or Coney Island to 57th Street–Seventh Avenue via the Broadway Line. Transfers between the two B service and between the two D services would be available at 34th Street–Herald Square. A shuttle would operate between Broadway–Lafayette Street and Grand Street. In addition, rush hour QB and RR service to Chambers Street would be discontinued, replaced by increased M service and additional cars on RR trains. During the second phase, to be in effect from September 17 to October 30, B and D service were expected to return to normal service. At this time, N service would operate via the Montague Street Tunnel between Canal Street and DeKalb Avenue, instead of over the bridge.

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However, plans changed, and the first phase of work did not begin until August 5, with the entire project to be completed in mid-November. The timeline for the two phases was swapped, with the closure of the south side of the bridge for six weeks taking place first.

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The second phase of work on the bridge began on September 26, 1983 as the north side of the bridge was closed for seven weeks. B and D service was split into two sections, with transfers between the two sections available at 34th Street. The north section of B service operated from 168th Street and 57th Street–Sixth Avenue to West Fourth Street, and the south section ran from 57th Street–Seventh Avenue to Coney Island running local via the Broadway Line, Montague Street Tunnel and Fourth Avenue Line. During the AM rush hour heading toward Brooklyn and in the PM rush hour heading toward Manhattan, trains operated express via the Manhattan Bridge skipping DeKalb Avenue. The north section of D service ran between 205th Street and West Fourth Street, while the south section ran between Brighton Beach or Coney Island at 57th Street–Seventh Avenue via the Broadway Line express. A special shuttle ran between Grand Street and Broadway–Lafayette Street, and RR rush-hour service to Chambers Street and QB service were suspended. On November 15, 1983, regular service resumed.

1984
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South track closures: 1985–1988
From August 10 to November 4, 1985, subway service was disrupted over the bridge to allow an $8.1 million track rehabilitation project to take place on the north side of the bridge. B and D trains were rerouted over the south tracks of the bridge and the BMT Broadway Line, while N trains were rerouted via the Montague Street Tunnel. The NYCTA warned riders of the RR, QB and M to expect delays of 5 to 10 minutes, and B, D and N riders to expect 15 minute delays.

The NYCTA's vice president for operations said that this was the "largest track construction project ever accomplished by the Transit Authority." Over the course of the project, workers replaced 40% more rails on the bridge than originally forecast. They replaced 11,930 feet, while they had only been expected to replace 7,780 feet. As part of the project, the wooden walkways alongside the tracks used for emergencies and for workers were replaced by fiberglass planking, which would last 20 years longer, heavier rails were used, and a new rail fastening system was installed, using spring locks instead of spikes.

Four four weeks starting January 27, 1986, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., B and D trains were rerouted via the BMT Broadway Line between 57th Street and DeKalb Avenue to allow structural work on the bridge to take place. The northern section of the B ran between 57th Street and Grand Street, while the northern section of the D ran between 205th Street and 34th Street.

The north tracks, which had been more heavily used, were closed first on April 27, 1986. At the same time, workers temporarily closed the two lanes of the Manhattan-bound roadway on the upper level, directly above the north tracks, in order to repair the deck there. The northern side was expected to reopen in November 1986, when the repairs were expected to be completed. On March 18, 1986, the NYCTA announced its service plan for the change. The change split B and D service into two sections: trains from the Bronx and upper Manhattan terminated at 34th Street–Herald Square, thus suspending express service on Sixth Avenue, while trains from Brooklyn were rerouted to the BMT Broadway Line express via the south side of the bridge. The N was rerouted via the Montague Street Tunnel.

On July 28, 1986, officials at the NYSDOT announced that repair work on the north side of the bridge would take an additional 18 months due to the discovery of extensive corrosion, reopening in April 1988. The corrosion, caused by rust, was concentrated in a single anchorage, and reduced the strength of a set of steel I-bars that anchored one of the bridge's four cables by 27%. The additional work required to replace the I-bars was expected to start in May 1987 and take 11 months, costing $8–10 million in addition to the project's $136 million budget. At the time, the project was expected to be completed in 1994.

On the night of April 27–28, 1988, all subway service over the bridge was shut down to allow workers to shore up support beams located below the tracks that had become badly corroded.

On August 17, 1988, NYSDOT and NYCTA officials announced that the northern tracks on the bridge would likely remain closed until 1999 to allow for more repairs once the NYSDOT develops a new plan. Beginning in November, the NYSDOT would have halted work on the bridge for 16 months to work out a new rebuilding plan with the city and the NYCTA. In the mean time, two vehicle lanes would be reopened. The halting of work on the project was required due to the withdrawal of American Bridge Company, the main contractor, which was leaving the industry. The project suffered delays from the onset due to the faulty design of a moveable work platform hung below the bridge.

Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden requested that full service be restored to the four tracks on the bridge while the NYSDOT sought out a new contractor to finish the work. Instead, the NYCTA decided to use the time to completely overhaul the two out of service tracks. A spokesman for the NYCTA said that full subway service could not be restored until May 1989 due to the picking of work assignments by subway workers, making it not worth it to restore the service for a brief period.

The closure of two of the bridge tacks, in addition to major track and signal work in Brooklyn, resulted in major hits in the quality of service in the subway's B Division. The B, N and R trains frequently recorded monthly on-time performances below 50%.

North track closures: 1988–2001
The north tracks were reopened and the south tracks were closed simultaneously on December 11, 1988, merging the B and D services, and rerouting the Q train to Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Broadway Line express service was suspended while Sixth Avenue express service was restored. After an 18-month delay for procuring contracts, the New York City Transit Authority and politicians pressured the DOT to resume N train service on the bridge's south side on September 30, 1990, despite warnings from engineers that the structure was unsafe and major repairs still had to be made. On December 27, state inspectors forced south side service to be rerouted via the tunnel again after discovery of corroded support beams and missing steel plates. The city's deputy commissioner for bridges and his administrative assistant were fired after this incident. Following the controversial decision to do so, the New York City Council's transportation committee held an inquiry into the decision to restore subway service on the Manhattan Bridge's south side, as well as an inquiry into the safety of all New York City bridges. They found that the Transportation Department and Transit Authority's lack of cooperative inspection were a major contributor for the deteriorating conditions.

On June 12, 1991, city officials said that subway service on the bridge's south side would not resume until 1995. That year, the north side was closed during off-peak hours for six months, rerouting the Q to Broadway and cutting D service from Brooklyn and B service from Manhattan.

South track closures: 2001–2004
The south side finally reopened on July 22, 2001, whereby the north side was again closed, returning the Q to the express tracks on the Broadway Line; introducing the new train to run on the West End Line; and discontinuing B and D service in Brooklyn. The south side was closed on weekends from April to November 2003, and the Q was rerouted via the Montague Street Tunnel. On February 22, 2004, the north side reopened, and all four tracks were in service simultaneously for the first time in 18 years. B and D trains returned to Brooklyn, but switched routes in that borough (the B on the Brighton Line and D on the Fourth Avenue and West End Lines). Additionally, the N train once again used the bridge for travel and the W no longer ran in Brooklyn.

Proposed replacement
In 1945, the New York City Board of Transportation undertook studies to determine the cost of removing the four tracks from the bridge and placing them in tunnels under the East River. The studies determined that it would cost $85 million. Moving trains off the bridge would allow for the addition of four lanes for vehicular traffic.

On October 26, 1982, State Assemblyman Daniel Feldman revealed a proposal to build a tunnel under Prospect Park for $100 million to reduce delays and decrease dependence on the deteriorated Manhattan Bridge. The plan would have involved building a 3,800 feet-long tunnel under Prospect Park, diverging from the northbound BMT Brighton Line near the Prospect Park station, then turning west before merging with the IND Culver Line express tracks to Manhattan. In addition to providing an alternative route to Manhattan, Feldman argued that the plan would have eliminated a bottleneck in the Brighton Line, which narrowed from 4 tracks to 2 tracks at Prospect Park. This proposal was strongly opposed by supporters of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle who feared that approval of this plan could spend the end of the line, which the MTA had been trying to close. In response, local community activist Helmuth Lesold proposed building a short connection from the shuttle to the IND Fulton Street Line.

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