In late January, the MTA’s construction around the L Train Lorimer/Metropolitan station entrances on those two streets began to show signs of finishing. Since March 2022, fencing, barriers, and signs barred southbound traffic on Lorimer from Skillman Avenue to Ainslie Street. For the past several weeks, these obstacles steadily diminished until cars began to travel southbound on Lorimer between these streets once again.
There hasn’t been a lot of traffic as of yet, probably due to drivers forming new habits because of this detour.
The construction which began in January 2022, was to implement ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) improvements on the L Train Lorimer/Metropolitan station entrances. Two new elevators and additional upgrades were among the proposed features to be added to the station.
In the intervening two-years of work, residents and business owners had to grapple with some negative fallout: garbage not being picked up, economic loss, noise, and structural damage.
The project isn’t completed yet, but an MTA press release has listed it among the fifteen stations that should be completed in 2024. The project was originally listed as costing $51.8M but was estimated to be completed by the third quarter of 2023.
Pedestrians crossing Lorimer Street will need to look both ways again. Most of the corners are governed by stop signs, which many drivers seem to take as a suggestion. No announcement has been made as to when the B48’s route will include these streets again. The fencing that remains around the elevator narrows the street some; this may hinder that bus’s return as of yet.
The Greenline 