Results tagged “secondavenuesubway”

A new congressional report card judging the progress of the Second Avenue Subway has given the project a B-minus, possibly the highest ratings ever handed out to the mythical subway line. The MTA immediately snatched the report card out Congress's hands and tried to get a signature on it before anyone noticed further problems, the agency expressing gratitude that Congress recognized the elements of the project that they are handling well. That "praise" includes the MTA being diligent in meeting with affected businesses, including the dozen that have closed along the route. Nonetheless Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who headed the study said, "Up until now, the project has been marred by missed deadlines, cost overruns and a harsh impact on local businesses."

Is another transit strike looming on the horizon? Yesterday over 350 furious transit workers took to the streets outside MTA headquarters in protest, some carrying signs like the one seen here. The employees are outraged over an ongoing contract dispute with the MTA board, whose decisions are heavily influenced by the Mayor. The MTA is refusing to accept a plan to raise the hourly pay rate by more than 11 percent over three years; the deal was reached through arbitration in August, but now the MTA is asking a judge to toss it out, claiming that the panel "made legal and factual mistakes." The raises would cost the MTA 350 million dollars.

[UPDATE BELOW] The dream of the Second Avenue subway line is turning into a nightmare for dozens of Upper East Side residents who must relocate to make way for ventilation shafts, stairwells and infrastructure for the $4.5 billion line, scheduled to open in 2017. (Coincidentally, that's the very same year a team of leprechauns and unicorns will finish transforming the East River into hot chocolate waterfalls.) Some 60 residences in the neighborhood must be vacated, and tenants—many of whom occupy rent-stabilized apartments far below market rates—say the relocation service hired by the MTA is not providing them with comparable options, as required by federal eminent domain laws.

We're sure everyone saw this coming: According to the Daily News, "Straphangers seeking relief from the overcrowded Lexington Ave. line may have to wait until 2017 for the arrival of the MTA's cure - the Second Ave subway, sources told the Daily News Tuesday... [After an analysis] The conclusion: the official completion date for phase one of the project should be pushed from June 2015 to December 2016, with possible future delays placing the opening in the summer of 2017, the sources said." Okay, so 2017 translated from MTA time should be sometime in 2020, no?

Yesterday, the Post reported that a Second Avenue building—right near where the MTA is working on Second Avenue subway construction—was vacated by the Department of Buidlings. Residents and business owners were annoyed, with one saying, "They came today at 2 p.m. and said you have to get out. The building could collapse at any minute." Now it turns out that the building, 1768 2nd Avenue was leaning by 18 inches: According to the DOB, the specific issue is a "FAIL TO MAINTAIN BLDG EXTERIOR BLDG LEANING TO NORTH BY 18' OUT OF PLUMB." While residents and business owners blame the subway construction, today the Post says that an MTA consultant sent a memo to the DOB, back in 2006, "about the poor conditions of the buildings on the block," but the memo was ignored.

Yesterday, Representative Carolyn Maloney released a report detailing how construction for the Second Avenue Subway, as well as the East Side Access plan, have helped out the economy. According to the findings, the Second Ave Subway has created 16,00 jobs, generated $842 million in wages, and produced $2.87 billion in economic activity, while East Side Access has created 22,000 jobs, generated $1.176 billion in wages, and produced $4 billion in economic activity. And by the endShe said, “The stock market may be slumping, but these two transit megaprojects are delivering a very healthy return on the federal and state investments in them... While these projects won’t cure everything that ails our economy, they are a huge help in getting us back on track.” Read the report (PDF). Last month, NY1 focused on 2nd Avenue businesses that have taken a hit since the dig—Second Avenue Business Association says, "Within the first six months of the construction process commencing, business declined between 15 and 20 percent."

Senator Charles Schumer was sounding like a savior today for two agencies recently experiencing major budget woes: the Department of Education and the MTA. Schumer indicated that $1.8 billion of the stimulus bill that arrived in the Senate today should be heading toward city schools saying, "If they were to use that money to prevent massive layoffs of teachers, that would be the intention of what the money is for and that's a good thing." The mayor did not take any stimulus money toward education for granted in last Friday's "Doomsday budget." Schumer also proposed an amendment to the $819 billion stimulus package, calling for money going toward transit to nearly double the allocated amount to around $15 billion. While that money could not go toward the MTA's budget deficit that will likely lead to a fare increase, it could be used towards maintenance and new projects like the Second Avenue Subway.

While Upper East Side residents feel it's been hell without a second subway line, some Second Avenue business owners are feeling the pinch from the MTA's construction of the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway. Yesterday, businesses asked Mayor Bloomberg to give them a hand, by boosting state legislation aimed at aiding them.

The MTA unveiled its 2008-2013 Capital Plan, which explained almost $30 billion will be needed to improve mass transit and complete projects like the Second Avenue Subway, the East Side Access plan and more by 2030 (many of those projects will also be delayed). Though the current MTA capital plan doesn't expire until next year, the MTA presented this plan because the state congestion pricing legislation required them to present a plan by the end of the first quarter of 2008.

One hundred years ago today, the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad opened for business with one mission – to get the passengers to and from the various railroad terminals on the Hudson County New Jersey side of the river to or from Manhattan who would otherwise have to take ferries. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the PATH, the Port Authority is giving free PATH rides today between 6AM and 11PM.

The MTA has actually done something to make the community along the in-progress Second Avenue Subway happy. They have decided not to acquire two Food Emporiums for space and will instead design around them. The NY Sun reported after community opposition, a station entrance at 86th Street will be redesigned while a ventilation system at 63rd Street and Third will be repositioned.

usher the MTA into an era of high ridership and capital improvement and help ed set up many big projects (Second Avenue Subway, East Side Access). But he also oversaw the agency during the transit strike.

MTA Chairman Peter S. Kalikow announced that he is stepping down from his position as chairman of the MTA. Kalikow, who was appointed by then Governor George Pataki back in 2001, was reappointed to a 6-year term last summer, which suggested there might be battles ahead between him and new governor Eliot Spitzer. But at the end of 2006, Kalikow said he would step down during the second quarter of this year, after finishing up some projects, like the Second Avenue Subway. Here are some quotes from the MTA press release:

“I am a firm believer in setting aggressive goals, accomplishing those goals and then giving others the opportunity to both expand upon those initiatives and create new ones with fresh vision and new energy,” said Kalikow. “As both a longtime public servant and an avid supporter of term limits as a means to maintain healthy and effective government leadership, I believe the public will be best served by my decision.”

Continue reading "MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow Announces Resignation"

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed.

Yesterday's Second Avenue Subway groundbreaking was notable for a few things: First of all, as we all know by now, it's was the fourth groundbreaking - three occurred in the 1970s, so yesterday's event was an introduction to the pomp and pageantry of subway groundbreakings for many of us. Second, it was pouring. When it rains at weddings, some people say that's lucky (though we suspect it's just to make the couple feel better). We say it's lucky that parts of the subway were already built, so the dignitaries and MTA official gathered could stay relatively dry.

Mayor Bloomberg missed the Second Avenue Subway groundbreaking yesterday morning because he was in Cincinnati to unveil the latest part of his campaign fight illegal guns. And, yes, Ohio is a swing state.

It's been 33 years since the last Second Avenue Subway groundbreaking, so it's high time for new generations of straphangers to revel in the hope of a new subway line. We also expect the public -- especially the Upper East Side-residing public -- to become jaded with construction delays, traffic issues, and noise. Here's the press release from the MTA:

Tomorrow morning's historic groundbreaking ceremony for the Second Avenue Subway can be seen by all New Yorkers live on NY1, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place in one of the subway tunnels built under Second Ave. in the 1970s but never used. Due to the limited capacity of the tunnel, the MTA arranged for the live broadcast with NY1 and will open its board room at 347 Madison Avenue for members of the public to join MTA staff for a public viewing and celebration.

Continue reading "Second Avenue Subway Groundbreaking Day!"

As we mentioned yesterday, it's wet today.

When the chief suits and ties take a few symbolic jackhammer swipes on Thursday to relaunch construction on the Second Avenue Subway, they won't exactly be breaking new ground. A 3-minute video from NY Times shows the history of three previous groundbreaking ceremonies held in the 1970s.

Since the MTA is close to signing a contract for the first phase of work for the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway (the T line), we were perusing MTA's presentation to Community Board 8 about the "Constructability Approach."

amNew York reveals that the MTA will sign a construction contract for the Second Avenue Subway on March 29. We can't believe that the MTA is actually signing a contract - it's only been about four years since the first of the recent-Second-Avenue Subway public hearings! Heck, the Second Avenue Subway was a cover story for New York in 2004.

Ah, the first rumble between MTA Executive Director Elliot Sander and the city! Sander has threatened to stop the 7 line extension if the city won't pay for cost overruns. Because Assemblyman Richard Brodsky asked about the project's budget, Sander wrote a letter to him (which he made public), stating, "It is M.T.A.’s position that we are under no legal obligation to absorb any additional costs or overruns." Ha! As we all know, MTA projects attract additional costs and overruns like honey does bees, and budgeting only $100 million for overruns (the city's current commitment is $2.1 billion) sounds low.

Telling us what most any subway rider suspected, City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. issued a review of the MTA's "State of Good Repair" capital expenditures and found that the MTA isn't very committed to making sure subway and bus service is in a "State of Good Repair." For instance, the MTA is 10-15 years behind making NYC Transit assets reach a State of Good Repair: 40% of lettered lines have 70 year old signals, which cause delays; many fan plants that are supposed to take out smoke in case of a fire won't be in Good Repair until 2028 (they were supposed to be fixed this year); and there is still lighting from the 1930s in some subway tunnels.

We all know the Second Avenue Subway project will be very costly. But we didn't know that the MTA was thinking about leaving the 300-foot tunnel boring machines underground when the project is done. The NY Sun reports that abandoning the $15-20 million machines may be "more efficient and cost-effective" rather than hauling them out. Apparently there's a precedent for this: The TBMs used for the Chunnel excavation were left there (however, other U.S. cities that have used TBMs aren't sure if theirs were left underground).

Op-ed pieces are always very hopeful, but we will remain optimistic that Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer will be able to take the one written by lawyer Gene Russianoff of Straphangers' Campaign seriously. Russianoff offers a roadmap to help navigate the MTA, given the huge deficits ahead and the reliance on mass transit that many New Yorkers enjoy. You should read the essay yourself, but here are the points:

In November, it was reported that, in spite of a lack of news, cell phone bids to wiring subway stations were still alive. But the Sun reports that they may actually be "dead in the tracks", as MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow isn't sure if the agency will pick a vendor:

The service providers want riders to make calls while in the tunnels. The MTA has remained adamantly opposed to chatting in transit.

Continue reading "Urban Legend in the Making: Subway Platform Cell Phone Service"

Whoa, is this an early holiday present to Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer? Or is this a fake-out to appease him for now? MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow told a state Assembly oversight hearing that he'll leave office "sometime in the second quarter": "There are things that I want to get finished. When they are finished I would like to resign." Those things being getting funding for the Second Avenue Subway and other capital projects secured.

Newsday has a good article looking at the transportation issues the next governor will deal with - the biggest being the MTA. The MTA, which already announced fare hikes for next year, faces insane budget deficits in the coming years: $905 million in 2008, $1.13 billion in 2009, $1.48 billion in 2010. The Straphangers' Campaign's Gene Russianoff says of the MTA, "They borrowed a ton of money to fix a system, and now the bill is coming due."

The year 2030 is in the MTA's sights, as it starts to work on solutions as the city will grow and change. AMNY was at the briefing panel, where director of planning William Wheeler said, "I've never seen a more exciting time in terms of growth in the region." Exciting, yes, but it's also scary when we think about what the MTA will need to do to accomodate for the expected 1.5 million increase in population that's expected in 25 years.