When Gov. David Paterson earlier this week announced a construction freeze on all state projects if the New York legislature did not pass the budget on time, I feared for the future of the Second Ave. Subway. I knew Albany would not pass the budget before midnight on March 31, the legislatively-imposed deadline, and when April 1 dawned last night with no budget in place, it seemed as though Paterson’s shutdown would come to pass. So with New York heading toward financial difficulties and no firm budget plan in place, would this be the economic move that killed the Second Ave. Subway?
I posed this question to the MTA yesterday, and although construction in the 1970s halted due to a crushing economic crisis, this year, Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway will move ahead as planned. With the MTA relying heavily on federal funds, stimulus grants and money secured through bonds for this project, the state construction shutdown will have no impact on construction underneath Second Ave. With federal money as the engine driving this project forward, its looking more and more likely that, at the very least, Phase 1 of the SAS will open this decade, New York City history be damned.
9 comments
Can not wait till Paterson is not the governor anymore.
I’m with you there, but I have a question about this for you: What else is he to do? The state has no budget and is running out of money. He had to freeze construction because there’s no way to pay for it until the budget is approved. Both he and the state legislatures are barred by law from taking a salary until the budget is approved. It’s just a mess.
Yeah all of the blame can not be put on him, the whole state is a mess. There is too much bureaucratic red tape that halts progress and causes everything to cost more than it should. There is too much wasted spending which makes for uncalled taxes and cuts like the fat tax which is probably going to be passed and this.
If he hasn’t resigned by now, I’m pretty sure that he’s not going to, but OK, he HAS decided not to run on his own.
After the grand succession of Democrats and Republicans who’ve put the state in such a royal mess, I can’t imagine who you’re hoping to come to the rescue. Cuomo II??
It’s a cesspool up there in Albany. The only Assembly voice that matters is Shelly’s, so it’s a dictatorship basically, and we all know the sound transit decisions he’s made. Plus they re-draw the districts however they want. How can this be legal? And you have representatives and officials beating women (Monserrate and Paterson’s aide). My goodness, is it any wonder the MTA is in the shape it is?
I’m not sure what to think about it. On the one hand, it’s an important project, one that should have been finished seventy years ago. On the other hand, it’s a giant money drain. And on the third hand, canceling the project won’t make the local consultants and contractors stop hyperinflating costs.
How can this be legal? And you have representatives and officials beating women (Monserrate and Paterson’s aide). My goodness, is it any wonder the MTA is in the shape it is?
It’s one putz after another in the state senate.
Although the Second Avenue Subway may indeed open one day before this decade is out, let’s not forget that the proposed, and as yet unapproved, MTA 2010-2014 Capital Program contains a final installment of of $1.487 Billion for the line’s completion. This would be needed for the final finishes and equipment for the stations, as well as track and systems for the running tunnels. It is unclear if the rolling stock requirement is met in this program, it may actually need to be funded in the 2015-2019 program. We still have some great challenges ahead.