NYCT completes Montague Tube Sandy recovery work

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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NYCT

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) marked the restoration of normal R subway service September 15 between Brooklyn and Manhattan with the successful completion of the Montague Tube subway tunnel that was damaged during Superstorm Standy.

 

NYCT said the $250-million project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, during an unprecedented full shutdown of the Montague Tube subway tunnel under the East River. An estimated 27 million gallons of water poured into a 4,000-foot stretch of the tunnel during Sandy, which corroded every element of subway infrastructure from electronic signal equipment to tunnel lighting to the steel rails themselves.

“Superstorm Sandy brought incredible destruction down on the New York City subway system – but today we’re taking another huge step forward to repair the damage and strengthen the system to withstand the next major storm,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “This tunnel is safer, stronger and more resilient than ever before and everything on this section of the R train is new – new rails, new signals, new pumps and new power supplies. We’ve made it a top priority to reimagine our state to withstand the new reality of extreme weather and today is another example of how that approach is making this a safer state for all.”

The Montague Tube was shut down August 3, 2013 to allow workers unfettered access to remove damaged equipment from the two tunnels and demolish concrete and terra cotta duct banks in both tubes that had collapsed. Construction crews had to enter the 4,000-foot section under the East River from entry points in Manhattan and Brooklyn, removing all debris and bringing in all equipment and tools through the tunnels themselves. Crews replaced 11,000 feet of track, 30,000 feet of concrete and terra cotta duct banks, 75,000 feet of power cable and 200,000 feet of communications cable.

 

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