We’ll Fix It With Plywood . . . And Plastic!

The MTA has figured out how to prevent further flooding of the Queens Boulevard subway line:

The MTA wants to waterproof the busiest subway line through Queens — with plywood.

And Queens Borough President Helen Marshall is not at all happy with the ultra-low-tech plan to cover dozens of sidewalk gratings over the tunnel that carries the E, F, R and V lines with wood and plastic.

Transit workers refer to the tracks along Queens Boulevard as “the bathtub” because of their propensity to flood. When more than two inches of rain pours down in a couple of hours — as it did June 2 — the flooding causes massive delays.

But Marshall questioned whether it was safe to block off ventilation below ground. “I guess Queens gets only the latest and best technology,” Marshall said. “What if there is a fire on the tracks? Won’t this just keep the smoke in?”

The MTA and FDNY say the plywood and plastic will not be a problem.

The Queens Boulevard line was “built with a lot of ventilation. There is a lot of redundancy,” said NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton.