L train service suspended next 5 weekends between Williamsburg and Manhattan

NEW YORK (WABC) -- An alert for those who ride the subway between Brooklyn and Manhattan: The L train is shut down for the first of five consecutive weekends.

Service will be suspended from 11:30 Friday nights until 5 a.m. Monday between 8th Avenue in Manhattan and Lorimer Street in Brooklyn.

The line is being closed for track work.

Williamsburg's transition to a tourist destination has meant an explosion in ridership in the L line, and the MTA says it must upgrade and maintain the tracks to handle the demand of extra trains.

Small business owners in Brooklyn say no subway service from Manhattan will mean fewer customers.

There will be shuttle bus service available.