Home Second Avenue Subway At 7 extension groundbreaking, Bloomberg slams SAS

At 7 extension groundbreaking, Bloomberg slams SAS

by Benjamin Kabak

The service diversions for the weekend are at the bottom of this post. Click here to skip to them. I wanted to make sure this bit of news made its way to the site before the weekend.

While I covered the 7 line groundbreaking this morning, one aspect of this story escaped me. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose city is footing the bill for a $2.1-billion, one-stop extension in order to placate potential real estate developers, had the audacity to slam the Second Ave. subway construction.

Here’s what the mayor had to say, per David Seifman and Tom Namako of The Post:

Construction of the Second Avenue Subway is “destroying every business” in its wake, Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday in an unprovoked dig at the MTA’s handling of the project.

Business owners have complained for years that the project is cutting into their profit margins by restricting foot traffic and parking spaces, and Bloomberg said a number of shops have been forced to close.

“It is literally destroying every business on Second Avenue,” the mayor said at a press conference intended to show off a 100-ton cutting head that was to begin churning out the West Side extension for the 7 train. “It is an economic disaster for the people who have stores and restaurants on Second Avenue and we have to find something to do for them.”

With the mayor’s speaking at an MTA, he is giving the direct impression that he wants the financially-starved transit authority to do something about this problem. The reality is that they can’t. They’ve worked with community leaders to minimize the impact of construction, and once they’re through with the launch box and drop the SAS tunnel boring machine, these businesses won’t be facing the same disruptions.

Meanwhile, the Second Ave. Subway will be a huge benefit to the city. If some businesses suffer today because of it, that’s just the way it is. As harsh as that sounds, progress for millions can’t be impeded because a few businesses today may not like it. Once this project is complete, those businesses will find even more value along Second Ave. as well.

The mayor, of course, refused to acknowledge the fact that he is forgoing an opportunity to build a station at 10th Ave. and 41st St. because the MTA won’t cover cost overruns on his own pet project. It’s tough to justify the costs of the 7 line extension considering its benefits; the mayor should be wary of injecting himself into other debates over projects that have actual beneficial end goals.

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From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22, Manhattan-bound 1 trains skip 238th, 231st, and 225th Streets due to replacement of defective rail plates.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, uptown 1 and 2 trains skip 79th and 86th Streets due to tunnel lighting.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, 2 trains run in two sections (due to switch renewal at Nostrand Avenue):

  • Between 241st Street and Franklin Avenue and
  • Between Franklin and Flatbush Avenues


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, free shuttle buses replace 3 trains between Franklin and Utica Avenues due to switch renewal at Nostrand Avenue.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, shuttle trains run between Utica and New Lots Avenues due to switch renewal at Nostrand Avenue.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, there is no 4 train service between Atlantic and Utica Avenues. Free shuttle buses replace 4 trains between Franklin and Utica Avenues. These changes are due to switch renewal at Nostrand Avenue. The 2, 3 and free shuttle buses provide alternative service.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, there is no 5 train service between Bowling Green and East 180th Street due to track panel installation north of Gun Hill Road and cable tray installation north of East 180th Street. Customers may take the 2 or 4 instead. 5 trains run every 30 minutes between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23 (and weekends through Feb 27-Mar 2), there are no 7 trains between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube. The N/Q and free shuttle buses provide alternate service. The 42nd Street Shuttle S operates overnight to replace 7 service between Times Square-42nd Street and Grand Central-42nd Street.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, free shuttle buses replace A trains between 168th Street and 207th Street due to tunnel and lighting work. Customers may transfer between the Broadway or Ft. Washington Avenue shuttle buses and the A train at 168th Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, Manhattan-bound A trains run local from Euclid Avenue to Canal Street, then express to 59th Street, then local to 168th Street. Queens-bound A trains run local from 168th to 125th Streets, then express to 59th Street, then local to Euclid Avenue. These changes are due to signal work at Chambers Street and a track chip-out north of 116th Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, there are no C trains running due to roadbed replacement work at 116th Street. Customers should take the A instead.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, there are no D trains between Pacific Street (Brooklyn) and 34th Street (Manhattan) due to work on the Broadway-Lafayette to Bleecker Street transfer connection. The N train and free shuttle buses provide alternate service.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, D trains run express between 36th Street (Brooklyn) and Pacific Street (Brooklyn) due to work on the Broadway-Lafayette to Bleecker Street transfer connection. Customers should take the N instead.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, there is no E train service between West 4th Street and World Trade Center due to signal work at Chambers Street. Customers should take the A instead to reach lower Manhattan.


From 8:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23 (until further notice), there are no G trains between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square due to third rail work. Customers should take the E or R instead.


From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 10 p.m. Sunday, February 22, there are no J trains between Broadway Junction and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer due to fiber optic cable installation. Free shuttle buses replace trains between Broadway Junction and the Jamaica Van Wyck E station.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, Manhattan-bound N and R trains are rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to subway tunnel rehabilitation.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, N trains run local between Pacific Street Brooklyn) and 59th Street-4th Avenue (Brooklyn) due to work on the Broadway-Lafayette to Bleecker Street transfer connection


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, Coney Island-bound Q trains run express from Prospect Park to Kings Highway and bypass Newkirk Avenue due to station rehabilitation.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, Q trains run local between Canal Street and 57th Street and are extended to the Ditmars Boulevard N station due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 21 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, midnight R shuttle trains terminate at 59th Street-4th Avenue due to work on the Broadway-Lafayette to Bleecker Street transfer connection.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, February 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 23, the 42nd Street Shuttle S operates overnight to replace 7 service between Times Square-42nd Street and Grand Central-42nd Street due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube.

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5 comments

G-man February 21, 2009 - 8:48 pm

Look, the MTA is utterly incompetent. Part of it is that it’s not its fault, Albany made them do it and they’re stuck with having a union. The other part is that no one there has an incentive to do a good job. I hate Bloomberg, but he has a point here. The MTA wastes so much money. It takes years between its decision to hire a contractor to do something until the bidding process is complete. All in the supposed name of preventing corruption and cronyism. Except that it costs the city way more than if someone’s cronies were getting the contracts, as the contractors get comped on their bidding costs. Seriously, the MTA is utterly incompetent.

Reply
Adam February 22, 2009 - 11:46 am

I’m pretty sure the businesses have come to accept the SAS and I think they understand that they’ll benefit when it’s done (I’ve read that somewhere, I think).

Reply
herenthere February 22, 2009 - 1:31 pm

I think Bloomberg just had a bad day where he forgot all about his PlaNYC objectives…still like him though!

Reply
Kai February 22, 2009 - 7:44 pm

So he’s saying the 7-Line extension is so much better because it won’t hurt businesses (as much)? That might have something to do with the 7-Line extension only having one station and that one being in a non-retail area. Granted, the SAS could have been dug even deeper with less cut and cover, but at what cost?

Reply
Alon Levy February 23, 2009 - 6:18 pm

Shorter Bloomberg: if a subway extension can’t be used to reward my developer friends, it’s not worth anything.

Reply

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