in Brooklyn, midday N trains began making local stops in Brooklyn. In addition, the span of M service to Brooklyn was reduced by fifteen minutes in the early morning and in the late evening by 25 minutes. The elimination of midday service to Brooklyn was made permanent on November 12, 1995, after the six-month repair project was completed, as part of a series of service cuts made by New York City Transit to make up a shortfall in its budget. It had been expecting a $160 million surplus in 1995, but due to reductions in state and federal contributions, it was left with a deficit which could reach $172 million. The elimination of midday M service to Brooklyn was part of a larger plan to reduce spending in order to avert a fare increase, which Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudy Giuliani had pressured the MTA to avoid. Only 4,200 riders used M service to Brooklyn during middays, with fewer than 20 passengers per car, or 80 passengers per train (the M used four-car trains during middays). Because of the low cost effectiveness of operating service to Brooklyn and because of the existence of alternate service on the N and R, it was decided to cut the service. This service cut saved $664,000 annually. Three alternative operating plans were considered: maintaining existing midday service, terminating midday service at Broad Street, and operating service as a shuttle like weekend and late night service. It was decided not to terminate service at Broad Street because it negated a large portion of the crew savings due to the need for personnel to relay trains at the Broad Street terminal, longer running times, and because it had the potential to delay J service, which already terminated there. The shuttle option was dismissed because it would inconvenience a far larger number of M riders. From May 1 to September 1, 1999, the Williamsburg Bridge subway tracks were closed for reconstruction, splitting M service in two sections. One service ran at all times between Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue and Marcy Avenue. The other ran rush hours only between Bay Parkway and Chambers Street. A shuttle provided service on the BMT Nassau Street Line. Fares on the B39 bus crossing the Williamsburg Bridge were eliminated and free subway-bus transfers were given at Marcy Avenue and at Delancey Street. The closure was anticipated to last until October 1999, but