For a project with a price tag of $16 billion, a check for $79 million is but a drop in the bucket. Yet, every little bit help.
Yesterday, Rep. Jerrold Nadler announced that the Second Ave. subway would receive just that amount in stimulus dollars. The East Side Access project will receive over $200 million as part of the same grant.
“This significant sum of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars will comprise a critical portion of overall funding for these two essential New York transportation projects,” Rep. Nadler said in a statement. “I have proudly fought for funding for the Second Avenue Subway and the East Side Access project for years. These crucial infrastructure initiatives will greatly increase transportation efficiency, access and ridership in the region. This will not only benefit our environment and assuage traffic issues, but will spur job growth and economic development for all New Yorkers.”
I appreciate Nadler’s enthusiasm. I really do. However, $79.8 million — the exact amount of the grant — works out to about 0.5 percent of the overall current cost of the Second Ave. subway. I won’t look that gift horse in the mouth, but until the funds start to flow, I don’t expect more than just Phase I to materialize.
It’s been 80 years since the city first got wind of a plan to build the Second Ave. Subway. This latest iteration is growing slowly, and in seven years — give or take a couple — something will open up, better late than never.
In other stimulus news, the MTA released its list of shovel-ready projects (PDF) a few weeks ago. It’s a fairly in-the-box list of station rehabs, gap-fillers for Union Square and some minor technology upgrades. It’s too bad the authority couldn’t take those funds for some of the CBTC programs that should be installed or for a major project such as the Culver Viaduct rehabilitation.
15 comments
Why does East Side Access get more than double? It costs less and serves far fewer riders.
East Side Access has more political clout behind it and is further along. They’re already 3/4’s done with boring the Manhattan tunnels (which, strangely enough isn’t the bulk of the project). Finishing East Side Access will go a long way toward relieving congestion into the city as well as congestion on the LIRR itself (LIRR at rush hour is pretty much as crowded as the 4-5-6, but they’re standing for longer periods of time).
I think it’s worth noting that they pretty much got all the ESA money they asked for, but less than half of the SAS money they asked for. If you look at the “shovel ready” document Ben posted at the end of this post, you’ll notice that the MTACC asked for $197 million for SAS, which would have covered like 1% of Phase 1. If the SAS is ever going to get completed through Phase 1, let alone phase 4, we’re going to need some politicians to step up for it more.
Josh, if THAT is not the “bulk” of the project, then WHAT IS?
Do you mean that the work on the QUEENS side of the tunnel is the “bulk”, or what?
Once the tunnels are bored, they need to hollow out a huge station cavern, dig out a connecting passage to the existing part of Grand Central Terminal, and then furnish the whole thing (tracks, platform, lighting, signs, escalators, tiles on the walls, etc.)
The tunnel boring itself in this case is less than half of the project, especially considering it’s only in Manhattan. The section under the east river has been sitting there unused for 20 years, built along with the 63rd Street subway tunnel (directly under it, actually).
Is this a joke? $79mm towards a $4B phase one? It’s almost an insult
am i the only one that feels like these stimulus dollars will be lost in the MTA and contractor money vacuum?
While Ben is right about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, this strikes me as barely a pittance from the feds.
Ben can you put up a poll asking how many people think the SAS will ever get completed past phase 1.
Fairness – are you sure Phase 1 gets done?
My guess is that phase 1 will get finished but not until about 2025 and the other phases don’t even get started ever. IMO
I’m willing to bet that around 2011 or so, by which time the official completion date for phase 1 will be in 2020, the entire project will get canceled. Then it’ll get restarted in the middle of the century, as someone points out that there are tunnels in pristine condition under 2nd Avenue between 93rd and 96th Streets.
Alon, if history will TRULY repeat itself as you say, then in the “middle of the century” they will resume the digging, but they’ll do it somewhere along 2nd Ave. in midtown or downtown.
Remember that the tunnels that they dug in the 1970’s are NORTH of 96th St., but right now they are being ignored rather than extended.
Of course. Wherever the mid-century SAS project starts, it will not be with existing tunnels – these will be relegated to Phase 2.
We need to start a long-term bet coming out of some long-term trust fund about when SAS will actually be built. My money is on 2070.
I hope they start to reconsider that 3rd track at the 72 Street station.
Glad to see the project getting under way. When i lived at Second avenue and 94, th, I always felt he need for a subay other than Lexington Avenue