Oh, hey there! So, like, a bunch of MTA big shots and project peeps cruised over to the Rockaway A train site before it reopens on May 19. Ramy Mahmoud snapped some pics of the event, you know, for the ‘gram.
The MTA crew and project honchos met up in the Rockaways on May 16 for a tour of the Rockaway Line Resiliency and Rehabilitation Project. This bad boy, totaling a cool $393 million, is almost done just in time for the Memorial Day rush. The tour went down near Beach Channel Drive and Beach 80th Street, where construction crews have been hustling 24/7 to beef up one of the city’s most vulnerable subway lines. This corridor got wrecked during Superstorm Sandy and serves about 10,000 riders daily, linking the Rockaway Peninsula—home to around 125,000 peeps—to the rest of Queens.
MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer, Project CEO Deirdre Harvey, and peeps from Jacobs Contracting and the MTA’s Rockaway team tagged along for the tour. They spilled the tea on the ambitious timeline and goals of the project. Torres-Springer was all like, “We’re out here in the Rockaways bringing safe, reliable service for a very long time. We’re intervening proactively instead of waiting for the next disaster to strike.” Way to be on top of things, right?
The Rockaway Line has some seriously old components, like over 65 years old, according to the MTA. That old infrastructure needed a major makeover to amp up safety, reliability, and climate resilience. The project involves replacing the Hammels Wye Viaduct and doing some state-of-good-repair work on the South Channel Bridge—the only swing bridge in the NYC Transit system. They’re also beefing up the viaduct’s superstructure and signal systems, and building a new signal tower and crossover at Beach 105th Street. Harvey was like, “This was a very complex operation. We had to remove the steel and concrete structure, the signals, the battery control, the track systems, and then put it all back together like Humpty Dumpty.” Sounds like a real puzzle, huh?
After Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc in 2012, A train service to the Rockaway Peninsula was out of commission for seven months. Yikes! That storm showed just how vulnerable the line was to extreme weather. This project is all about bouncing back from that disaster and making sure the line can handle future storms like a champ. The MTA dropped $84 million in federal emergency relief funds for right-of-way restoration and a protective sheet pile wall north of Broad Channel. Another $28.5 million is going toward flood-hardening efforts at four key stations to shield vital equipment. The North Channel Bridge is getting $50 million in repairs and communication upgrades, with an extra $27 million dedicated to flood mitigation at the Hammels Wye campus. They’re also reinforcing embankments and protecting the track bed in flood-prone areas. Safety first, right?
The A train has been MIA between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park since January 17, but it’s set to make a comeback on May 19 after a 17-week hiatus. The MTA is on track to finish the whole shebang by the third quarter of 2026. To keep disruptions to a minimum during construction, the MTA and its crew are taking steps like giving peeps a heads up about the work, monitoring noise and vibrations, and working with the NYC Department of Transportation to keep things safe on the streets. Torres-Springer promised riders would notice smoother rides and fewer hiccups once service is back up and running. Beach season is coming up, and the MTA wants to make sure peeps can get to the sand without any issues. No service outages are planned between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so it’s smooth sailing for everyone.
And that’s a wrap! The Rockaway Line is getting a major glow-up, and the MTA is making sure it’s ready to take on whatever Mother Nature throws its way. Ride on, Rockaways!
