When it opens in 2014, the Fulton Street Transit Center will connect eleven lines (not counting PATH trains)- more than any other station in the NYC subway system. It's currently budgeted at $1.4 billion (fun fact: the original budget was $750 million!), but it hasn't received nearly as much press as the World Trade Center rebuilding going on just a block west, or the Santiago Calatrava-designed PATH station slated to go up on Church Street. more ›

The MTA has issued an advisory predicting "severe service disruptions," during the p.m. commute today, due to that big water main break at Central Park West and 106th Street. We're not really sure what this has to do with Radiohead playing Roseland, but for what it's worth: B and C train service has been suspended from end to end, while A train service is suspended between West 145th Street and 59th Street-Columbus Circle. more ›

Workers have patched up the water main that broke yesterday in the Bronx, but the pain continues for businesses and residents. Hundreds are still without gas, bus service is rerouted, and there's a lot of damage from the flooding that turned many streets into rivers. One resident told the WABC 7, "We're surrounded by water. We can't go nowhere. We can't get nowhere. We're stuck." more ›

A very big water main break in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx is causing all sorts of problems this morning. Not only is the break, at Jerome Avenue and 177th Street, sending water at the two- and three-foot levels into streets blocks away and causing delays/rerouting on the 4 subway line, WPIX reports, "Roads around the watermain also appeared to be buckling," plus, "A gas line underneath the water main break is also a point of concern. [A fire chief] said the gas line has not been shut down but the weight of the water may compromise the integrity of the gas line." Our crumbling infrastructure... more ›

As one rider just Tweeted, "BITE MY LEFT NUT NJ TRANSIT!!!" NJ Transit just suspended service on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct lines due to "an Amtrak power supply problem" for the afternoon/evening commute. And it was just at 7:15 a.m. when NJ Transit had to suspend service due to Amtrak's power issues! more ›

Thanks to the trio of Republican governors Rick Scott, John Kasich, and Scott Walker, who all rejected millions in high-speed rail funds from the federal government, the northeast rail corridor will receive $800 million for improvements. The Washington Post's Dr. Gridlock reports that much of the work will be done to increase train speed (up to 160 mph!) between New York and Washington, D.C., with repairs being made to switches around Penn Station and equipment updates "along a busy segment of track between Morrisville, Pa., and New Brunswick, N.J." Unfortunately, it is government work, so the upgrades won't be completed until 2017. more ›

Ever want to explore the underside of the infrastructure of the greatest city in the world without, y'know, going down there? Got half an hour? Last summer Andrew Wonder and Steve Duncan went on a tour of the city's less visited attractions with trips to the abandoned City Hall station, New York's first sewer on Canal Street and the Lincoln tunnel and the results have just come online. So sit back at your desk and go vicariously run from trains while avoiding the third rail! Spot century-old footprints underground! Meet the nice folks you find down there! Climb a tower of the Williamsburg Bridge! All without actually going anywhere. more ›

This morning Manhattan found itself a bit wet, and not just from the flurries falling down, as two water mains broke. On the Upper East Side a 12-inch-pipe dating back to 1917 broke around 1 a.m. and flooded part of First Avenue between 61st and 62nd streets. The Department of Environmental Protection tells NY1 they hope to have it repaired later today. Meanwhile, crews are also working to repair another 12-inch-main that ruptured around 6:15 a.m. at Broadway and 105th. We've contacted the DEP to find out when they hope to have the second main cleared up by. more ›

This weekend, the MTA is embarking on its "LIRR Modernization Project Brings State of the Art Technology to Centralized Signaling and Switch Control at Jamaica," which means there will be very limited service between Jamaica and Penn Station this weekend and the weekend of November 6-7. The MTA recommends, "As a result of the extremely limited service, the LIRR recommends that customers use the LIRR for essential business travel only during these two weekends. Customers traveling for recreational purposes during this period should consider travel on the Port Washington Branch or other travel alternatives." Or, as the Post puts it, "It's the LIRR-arrrgh!" (LOL) more ›

Yesterday, federal, state and city officials broke ground on the Moynihan Station, the long-discussed project to redevelop Penn Station at the Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue. After years of obstacles, it was more of a "symbolic gesture," welcoming federal money being used for the project (the feds are kicking in $83 million for phase one, which has an estimated total of $276 million). more ›

Two years ago, the state announced plans to forgo repairing the Tappan Zee Bridge, and instead build a new bridge entirely. Yesterday, the Tappan Zee Bridge/Interstate 287 Corridor Project unveiled the final two possible redesigns. Plan 3 is a single-level span that would have room for trains to run in the middle, bus lanes on either side of the tracks, and car and trucks traveling in the outer lanes. Plan 5 is a dual-level bridge, and would take less time to construct. Trains would run underneath the north span, vehicle traffic would be on the top level, with two dedicated bus lanes in the center. Of course, they may not have the money currently to build either of them. more ›

Yesterday, the Long Island Rail Road said that it expected service to be normal for the Monday rush, after last Monday's switching tower fire caused the rest of the week's service to be limited—and very frustrating for commuters. LIRR President Helena Williams said, "I appreciate the challenges our customers faced during the past week and I thank them for their patience during what has been a difficult time. I would also like to thank the hundreds of railroad employees who worked around the clock to put the damaged signal and switch system back together while keeping service going and assisting our customers throughout the week." more ›

Vice President Joe Biden was in town to kick off the beginning of the big Brooklyn Bridge rehabilitation project. According to Mayor Bloomberg's office, it's "a $508 million project - supported by $30 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds - that will bring the nationally and locally landmarked bridge into a state of good repair and improve traffic flow. The project starts the four-year process to replace bridge decks on the ramp and approach structures, expand the numbers of lanes on ramps and repaint of all the bridge’s steel components." more ›

Last week on The Rachel Maddow SHOWwas "Geek Week," which featured Maddow interviewing Nobel Prize-winning Energy Secretary Steven Chu, visiting Ground Zero, and checking out the Iwo Jima helicopter carrier (which is here for Fleet Week). On Friday, she headed to the Second Avenue Subway launch box at 96th Street, noting the many starts and stops of the future "T" line and how it's desperately needed, pointing out the crowded Lexington Avenue line carries more people than the Boston, Chicago and D.C. subways combined each day. more ›

Before 1 a.m. this morning, a 12-inch water main at 105th Street and Central Park West broke, flooding the West 110th subway station and onto Central Park West. WABC 7 reports, "Several hundred residents of nearby buildings were temporarily without water. Meanwhile, subway service on the A & D lines has resumed with residual delays. M10 bus service was briefly suspended until Central Park West was reopened." While the cause of the break is under investigation, let us guess that it was a combination of crumbling infrastructure and last night's crazy cold temperatures. more ›

Uh-oh: 1010WINS reports, " Trains are moving again between New Jersey and New York City after a bridge was stuck in the open position. However, commuters should expect delays of up to an hour. NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel says Amtrak was unable to close the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River at 11:40 a.m. Friday. Stessel says the problem has been repaired, but only one track is open." NJ Transit's website says "PATH and bus cross honoring in effect." There are also delays for Amtrak riders. As it happens, Amtrak and NJ Transit are working on a project to enhance the bridge's capacity. more ›

Nearly 50% of city bridges and crossings used by Amtrak trains have components rated in "poor" or worse conditions, according to inspection reports. The Post sheds harsh light on the "crumbling conditions" of spans over the Bronx River, thoroughfares like Dyckman Street, and bridges in Queens. One that crosses from 135th to 125th Street along Manhattan's West Side "received consistent 'serious' rankings for beams and other metal supports, along with several 'poor' floor problems." Amtrak officials, who downplay the results of the inspections, lament the meager budget given over for repairs, with only a fraction of the $1.4 billion budget in federal funds allocated for them: "Is $40 million enough to paint every bridge? No, it's not." more ›

In the latest article in NY Times' series "Toxic Waters," about the "worsening pollution in American waters, and regulators’ response," the focus is on sewer systems. And the main example is here in NYC, starting at the Owls Head Water Pollution Control Plant, "where much of Brooklyn’s sewage is treated." And you will never think about a rain fall the same way again. more ›

While building tenants were allowed back to their apartments and stores after a water main broke in Tribeca yesterday morning, the clean-up will take a while. Sean Hershkowitz, an owner of the terrific Balloon Saloon, said, "Everything has been totally destroyed. All of our inventory was in the basement," while A Uno clothing store owner Ann Benedetto lamented about computer equipment and clothing in her basement, "I have product here for fall that’s soaking." The main that broke at Duane and West Broadway was from 1870; the DEP told the Tribeca Tribune that it was just old. DEP Commissioner Steven Lawitts said, "Cast iron, after many years of freezes and thaws and street vibrations will break if not replaced." He added that even hough the city spend $200-300 million to replace old water pipes, "Unfortunately we can’t be everywhere with programmed replacement, so we still have these random occurrences, which we have to treat just as quickly as we can.” more ›

Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand announced that $261 million in federal stimulus money will go towards NYC infrastructure projects. The projects getting direct stimulus funds include rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge (widening ramps, painting) and of the St. George Ferry Terminal ramps and upgrading the pedestrian bridge from East Harlem to Ward's Island. Bloomberg said, "The federal stimulus dollars mean that we can move projects that would have been on the chopping block and get shovels in the ground quickly -- putting thousands of people to work and rebuilding our infrastructure." You can also track the projects with the city's new stimulus project tracker. more ›

Senator Charles Schumer is wasting no time: He tells the Daily News, "Washington can't do what it did in Herbert Hoover's time and twiddle its thumbs." Noting how Obama said that states must be helped during this economic downturn, the senior Senator from NY says Obama should help New York with money for "affordable housing, transportation and help hiring for cops." City Council member John Liu, chair of the Council's transportation committee, added that a bailout is needed for the MTA, "It would be a small, small fraction of the $700 billion bailout of banks or anything they may be thinking for General Motors," while member David Yassky said, "The best thing is to invest in infrastructure that will support economic growth for years." Representative Jerold Nadler puts it bluntly, "We want as big a stimulus package as possible." more ›

The NY Times wonders if more cities will allow public infrastructure to be privately financed. Investment banks have "an estimated $250 billion war chest" as the U.S.'s infrastructure crumbles. Mayor Bloomberg has touted the need for more federal funding ("we have an infrastructure crisis"). While the banks tells the Times, “Ten to 20 years from now infrastructure could be larger than real estate,” one big question is whether they'll get the returns they want. Still, there could be an upside for the public: A Northeastern University professor told Reuters earlier this month, "Elected officials often shortchange funding of maintenance because they don't want to increase user fees or taxes to pay for it. Their election cycle is four years. They can pass it on to someone else's watch." more ›