A month after MTA officials announced they would be canceling $16.5 billion worth of projects due to the city’s congestion pricing plan getting shelved, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $54 million in state funding to support the Second Ave Subway Project Tuesday.
Since the governor announced an “indefinite pause” of congestion pricing on June 5, the transit agency has been trying to get her to restore the funding that was intended for purchasing hundreds of new train cars, extending the Second Ave line, and more. These initiatives were all meant to be financed by the Manhattan tolling program.
During the agency’s June board meeting, MTA leaders hinted they might formally cancel those projects from the 2020-2024 construction plan, but Hochul vowed to replenish the funding and asserted her move was “a temporary pause” on June 30.
On Monday, Jamie Torres Springer, the agency’s president, said they will take Hochul “at her word” when she promised to restore the $15 billion she cut from their construction budget and move forward as if funding was still available, Gothamist reported.
Just a day later, the governor announced New York State will provide $54 million in state resources to support the extension of the Second Ave Subway line to 125th street in East Harlem, one of the most transit dependent neighborhoods in the city, according to the state. The capital funding will be earmarked towards the utility relocation contract (“Contract 1”) for Phase 2 of the expansion project, allowing the MTA to immediately proceed with the work to relocate utility lines along Second Avenue and nearby streets.
Hochul also said the advancement of this project will not affect MTA Capital Program State of Good Repair projects that are prioritized or currently underway.
“I have been committed to the Second Avenue Subway since the day I took office, and we will deliver this project for the people of East Harlem and the millions of riders who will use it every day,” Governor Hochul said. “Now, we are committing the funds needed to continue the utility relocation contract, the first step to building this transformational project to meet the needs of everyday New Yorkers.”
MTA CEO and Chair Janno Lieber says advancing this utility work now while congestion pricing is on pause “puts MTA in a position to keep the overall Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 project on schedule while Albany resolves how to fund the $15 billion outstanding for the MTA’s 2020-24 Capital Program.”
