The subway system will be thrown into mass turmoil this weekend as
nearly every line will see delays and diversions due to widespread
repairs.
Of the 20 lines that operate on the weekends, 18 will suffer some types of serious delays between Friday and Sunday, MTA officials said.
"I'll take my car this weekend — I'm not going to deal with it," said Norman Ellis, of Bayside, Queens.
He frequently uses the R train to get to work, but the line will skip
all stops between 34th Street-Herald Square and 36th Street in
Brooklyn.
Six lines — the 5, A, F, G, L and E — will resort to free shuttle-bus service at various points along their routes.
Another seven lines — the 1, 2, 7, B, N, J and R — will skip a
section of stops, and the 4, 6 and Q lines will run express at times,
missing more stops.
Also, the D line will run on the N tracks during midday hours tomorrow, missing 12 Brooklyn stops.
The MTA says there are good reasons for the nerve-wracking diversions.
"At this time of year we're performing work along the outdoor lines
that cannot be done during harsh weather," said New York City Transit
spokesman Charles Seaton.
"It doesn't happen every weekend, but there are times when you'll see this much construction activity along the lines."
The E line will skip every stop between 34th Street and the World Trade Center Saturday and Sunday.
And F and G riders in Brooklyn will have to resort to free shuttle
buses instead of speedier subways for a combined 15 stops near Prospect
Park.
Also, hipsters beware: L trains will skip every stop between Lorimer Street and Myrtle-Wyckoff avenues over the weekend.