So 2019 starts with whiplash. On Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the L train was not completely shutting down for repairs after all.

Wait, what?

Despite nearly three years of hand-wringing, community meetings and general upheaval to prepare for the so-called L-pocalypse, the governor announced a new plan that would avoid requiring a full closing.

In the original plan, a shutdown was deemed necessary to repair corroded cables in the tunnels spanning the East River that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Instead, the governor said, they would be fixed with innovative technology not yet used in the United States, with the work taking place only on nights and weekends.

In one hour, Cuomo upended years of planning and hundreds of thousands of lives. It may be for the better. But will it even work? Why did he wait so long to do this? What did Elon Musk whisper in his ear during Cuomo’s “out-of-the-box” consultations? There are still so many questions, and we will answer them here as soon as we can provide an update.

Here’s what we do we know about what this means for Brooklynites, East Villagers and the rest of the city:

— How can they do this without a shutdown?

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will keep both tunnels open during the day and do its work on nights and weekends, shutting down only one tube at a time.

Trains will run in both directions, but that will result in long waits between trains — up to 15 and 20 minutes — during repair times. The authority still plans on running more G, M and 7 trains to handle passengers who are rerouted during the repairs.

— When will this start?

Probably in April. Which was when the shutdown was supposed to start.

— How long will it take?

Transit officials said it could take 15 to 20 months. The previously planned shutdown was supposed to take 15 months. The governor stopped short of guaranteeing that it would not go beyond 20 months.

“It’s a silly question, ‘Am I going to promise on a construction project?'” he said.

— Who will be most affected?

L-train riders who work nights and weekends, or those who play on nights and weekends.

A luxury ride share company that started just for the shutdown, The New L, said it would keep its waitlist open, just in case the new plans didn’t work, and there was still a need for the $155-a-month service.

Construction and congestion on side streets in the East Village could be abated, sparing neighbors fumes from supplemental buses and asbestos in the debris removed from the tunnel.

— What about the 14th Street busway, special buses and other plans?

Andy Byford, who oversees New York City’s subways and buses, said there would likely not be a high-occupancy vehicle lane over the Williamsburg Bridge, as had been planned. Additional ferry service from Brooklyn to Manhattan will also not be needed.

No decision has been made regarding shutting down 14th Street in Manhattan for bus service (and also expanding bike lanes).

— For tunnel geeks: What is this new technology?

In December, the governor asked experts from Cornell University’s College of Engineering and Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science to suggest alternatives to a shutdown.

Their solution was to abandon the old electrical cables now embedded in a cement bench wall, at the base of the tunnel; construct a new racking system on the sides of the tunnel, and hang new cables wrapped in fireproof material; and then fortify the bench wall with fiberglass polymer.

Still confused? So are we. Stay tuned.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.