14-month R train tunnel shutdown begins Friday night

The tunnel that carries the R train between Manhattan and Brooklyn will shut down for 14 months starting Friday night.

At 11:30 p.m., the MTA is shutting down the Montague tunnel to begin a $308.6 million repair project that the agency says is a near rebuilding of the tube.

"We are providing an extraordinary amount of customer information to help our riders get around the gaps in service," acting NYC Transit chief Carmen Bianco said in a statement.

During the week, 65,000 daily riders on the R line will be unable to take the train in and out of Manhattan. The train will stop end in lower Manhattan at Whitehall Street and stop at the Court Street stop in downtown Brooklyn. On weekends, the R train will run over the Manhattan Bridge.

Superstorm Sandy had sent millions of gallons of saltwater into the Montague tunnel, corroding equipment that caused delays in service.

"These investments in repairing and reinforcing the system's infrastructure will help safeguard the most vulnerable areas of our subway system for decades to come," said Thomas Prendergast, the MTA board chair and CEO.