was moved and incorporated into the city's Independent Subway System (IND). The junction with the IND Queens Boulevard Line in Long Island City was originally supposed to have a second wye, with service from Manhattan via the 53rd Street Tunnel planned to feed into the Crosstown Line. This would have been part of a loop service between the Crosstown and Eighth Avenue Lines. The first contract to build the Crosstown Line, for a section north of Nassau Avenue in Brooklyn, was awarded in 1928. The portion of the line crossing Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens, now known as the Greenpoint Tubes, was built without the use of a tunneling shield or compressed air, contrary to the convention of the time. The tunnel was bored through solid rock, crossing under the East River Tunnels of the Long Island Rail Road and the IRT Flushing Line, then lined with concrete. On August 19, 1933, the line was opened north of Nassau Avenue, and the GG began operation to Queens Plaza. The entire Crosstown Line was completed and connected to the IND Culver Line on July 1, 1937, whereupon the GG was extended in both directions to Smith–Ninth Streets and Forest Hills–71st Avenue. In 1946, as part of a $1 billion plan issued by the New York City Board of Transportation, a branch of the IND Crosstown Line was to be built, with the routing via Franklin Avenue and connecting with the BMT Brighton Line. This would have replaced the BMT Franklin Avenue Line. Service history Over the years, the termini for the GG (relabeled G in 1985) varied, including being extended to Jamaica–179th Street or cut back to Queens Plaza. On December 16, 2001, a new peak-hour train (replaced in 2010 by the ) running local on the Queens Boulevard Line required the truncation of the G to Long Island City–Court Square during weekdays. G service was extended to Forest Hills–71st Avenue at all other times. But on April 19, 2010, G service was permanently cut back from the Queens Boulevard Line due to budget cuts and closures for repair work. Service was also extended to Church Avenue several times, the most recent extension being in 2009. During weekend service disruptions on the service between Jay and Bergen Streets, trains were extended beyond Church Avenue to Coney Island. 21st century In 2012, flood waters from Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to