How to take the MTA to work today

I'm grateful for many things, post-Sandy. One, that my friends and family are all safe. Two, that I live in the greatest city in the world, with heroes working overtime to help those in need and get our city back up and running. And three, that my office and the e-mail servers that control my work e-mail is located below 40th Street in Manhattan. No power = no work. Yay!

But for those of you who are forced to head into Manhattan for work today, there's some good news. As of 6AM this morning, the MTA is back up and running in limited capacity.

Here's a map of what's running right now. 

Don't get it twisted. There's no trains running between Park Slope and lower Manhattan yet. Starting tomorrow morning, the Army Corps of Engineers is bringing in 250 (!!!) high-speed pumping devices to help clear out the water from the tunnels. Once that's done we'll have a better understanding of when we'll get subways back up and running from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

But there are buses. In a press conference from Governor Cuomo late Wednesday night, we've learned the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation have established routes for a bus bridge service, dedicating two-way priority lanes from three Brooklyn locations to Midtown Manhattan. You can find said shuttle buses traveling from:

• Atlantic Ave
• Jay Street
• Hewes Street

Atlantic Avenue and Jay Street routes will travel across the Manhattan Bridge, via lanes on Bowery and 3rd Avenue. Inbound buses will be making stops at the major cross streets all the way. Look for outbound buses on Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, and 3rd Avenue and Bowery in the outbound direction. 

The Hewes Street bus is crossing the Williamsburg Bridge and Delancy Street, then heading up Bowery and 3rd Avenue up to 55th Street, and then coming downtown via Lexington Avenue, 23rd Street, 3rd Avenue and Bowery.

All fares will be completely waved today and tomorrow. This includes the LIRR and Metro-North, both of which are also returning in limited capacity. Governor Cuomo is declaring this a "transportation emergency." He's begging you to stay off the road because traffic yesterday was a total fucking disaster. 

Buses will operate 24 hours until further notice. You should keep checking www.mta.info for updates as more transportation options become available. And good luck out there!