Rising costs force changes at 96th St.

Just last week, we took a look at the growing new stationhouse at 96th St. along the West Side IRT. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly, but alas, it was not to be. According to Heather Haddon of amNew York, rising costs have forced the MTA to “shave features” from the project. The end result will be a less accessible, but cheaper, station finished earlier than anticipated.

Haddon notes that the cost savings encompass $26 million of shelved plans. Most notable are reductions to the plans to widen the underground platform. According to an MTA presentation on Monday not yet available on the agency’s website, workers will not have to relocate utilities or dig into the Manhattan bedrock. Furthermore, one of three planned elevators have been shelved

On the flip side, this project will now be completed in 2010, a full 20 months before originally planned. While I reported that Sept. 2010 completion date last night, I didn’t realize it was a revised date. The Second Ave. Subway death knell grows louder with every bit of MTA construction news.