$54M restarting Second Avenue Subway work after congestion pricing stop
Harlem residents on the first day of service to the public on the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan, Jan. 1, 2017. Work on the extension was delayed after the congestion pricing pause. Credit: Charles Eckert
A new $54 million injection of state aid will help the MTA restart its $7 billion Second Avenue Subway extension project, which was put on hold upon Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 11th-hour decision to pull the plug on congestion pricing, officials said.
Hochul on Tuesday announced the new funding measure, which she said underscores her commitment to keep MTA capital projects on track, even without the $1 billion in annual toll revenue that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would have made from congestion pricing.
"I will find the resources to make sure that nothing is stopped. I’ve said that all along," Hochul told reporters Tuesday. "People know that my commitment to the Second Avenue Subway is crystal clear. We’re moving forward with this."
Congestion pricing supporter Danny Pearlstein, of the Riders Alliance, chided Hochul for "favoring her pet projects," like the Second Avenue Subway, while stalling the tolling plan.
"With congestion pricing stopped by the governor, the MTA is now facing lower revenue and growing borrowing, maintenance and overtime costs," Pearlstein said. "To restore trust with transit riders and the federal government, Gov. Hochul must start congestion pricing now."
Three weeks out from the scheduled launch date for the tolling plan, Hochul last month ordered an indefinite pause on congestion pricing, citing New Yorkers' affordability concerns. The tolling plan would have charged most vehicles $15 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan during peak periods.
The MTA was counting on the revenue to support about $15 billion in planned infrastructure projects. Without the funding, transit officials said they were forced to scale back their capital budget, including by stopping work on a plan to extend the Second Avenue Subway to 125th Street in East Harlem.
In a statement, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the transit authority is "grateful the Governor was able to identify new funds" to advance a utility relocation effort that was one of the first steps of the Second Avenue Subway project.
At a meeting of the MTA’s construction and development committee Monday, officials outlined plans to restart the project as soon as possible, and to also cut about $300 million in project costs, including by having tunnel boring machines enter the subterranean work site laterally, as opposed to the more costly, original plan to drop them down into place from street level.
MTA construction and development president Jamie Torres-Springer said through those and other efforts to streamline the scope of the project, the Second Avenue Subway should still be able to hit its target completion date in 2032, even with the recent pause on work.
"All of these are things that we’ve been working on for quite some time and they give us confidence that . . . we’ll be in comfortable place," Torres-Springer said.
Hochul said the money was coming from state funds reserved for capital projects.
The MTA is expected to provide more detail on the impact of the congestion pricing pause on its operating budget when it presents its latest financial plan at its monthly board meeting Wednesday.
With Keshia Clukey
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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