As the timeline for the Second Ave. Subway stretches infinitely into the future, politicians and watchdogs are growing tired of frequent delays and no promises of a full subway line. Originally set to open in 2012, Phase I of the SAS may now open for business by the end of 2017 if everything as it is now continues apace. In a recent review of the project, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney rated it a B- and warned that delays could push the completion date well into 2018. While Maloney praised the project for creating thousands of jobs, managers, she said, have not kept the new subway line on budget or on time.
While I’m still waiting to get a copy of the report, the Daily News offers up its own shortened version: Maloney’s office is critical of the MTA’s inability to recognize potential problem spots — such as structurally deficient buildings — ahead of time, and she feels many delays could have been avoided or included in initial project assessments. Meanwhile, Barry Kluger, the MTA’s inspector general, will soon issue his own report on the delays and problems associated with the long-awaited Second Ave. Subway. This probe, according to The Post, will examine “the MTA’s repeated contract revisions, the amount of money it allocated to buy real estate to continue the project, and the reported trouble between the agency and Con Edison.”
Finally, in other (bad) Second Ave. Subway news, the MTA has been unable to secure a blasting permit due to two shaky buildings on East 92nd St. I first tackled this issue two weeks ago, and the MTA has remained in a holding pattern since June. Although the agency says the delay in securing the permit will not push back the completion date, the longer the delays go, the less likely that reality becomes. The MTA and the building’s owners are still battling over who exactly is responsible for the cracks that appeared in the building. The MTA says these buildings were structurally unsound before work began, and records support these contentions. The landlords say underground work exacerbated the problems.
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Good on Maloney, but it’s times like these that I like to remind people of the ongoing problems we have managing infrastructure development. It’s a problem of neglect and eliminating (often through privatization) of strong planning and project management professionals within the public service community. Dukakis weighed in on this at the Infrastructuralist back in February. Smart guy.
Inability to recognize structurally deficient buildings?!?!?!
The buildings were recognized cited as structurally deficient YEARS ago. The owners and the City Dept of Buildings sat on their hands until they could garner headlines deflect blame and scapegoat SAS construction for conditions that existed for many years.
Once I get my hands on the report, I’ll have a better understanding of her allegations. All I know is what the news reports say so far.
[…] the Second Ave. Subway battles problems and delays, the MTA’s East Side Access project is moving ahead mostly as scheduled. Yesterday, the MTA […]
[…] this week, I briefly touched upon a Second Ave. Subway report card released by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. At the time of my post, the report card had not yet been […]
In my 9 years of dealings with ConEd, I have never ONCE found them cooperative. When I was an electrician’s assistant they NEVER came out to turn the power off for the service’s to residences. This lead to us having to work on hot lines with no fuses or breakers to save us.
It took them over 2 hours to show up the scene of an electrical fire after the fire department called them.
ConEd has derailed several major electrical upgrades for state correctional facilities in the NYC area, where ConEd’s flip-flopping and obstinacy has cost state tax payers millions of dollars.
That ConEd would screw over the MTA doesn’t surprise me in the least.
[…] Second Ave. Subway will receive $197 million and the East Side Access $215 million. Maloney, who slammed the progress along Second Ave. in a report last fall, focused this time on the way the subway work creates jobs. For every dollar […]