Wonderfully orchestrated!
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http://web.mta.info/capital/sas_pdf/SAS%20Newsletter%2096th-Jan_2015.pdf
The 96th Street contract is currently 55.5 percent complete as of Dec 1st, 2014. In
an effort to complete work at Ancillary 2 (southwest corner of 97th Street and Second
Avenue), contractors will be accelerating work efforts there.
A Fast-Track Plan to Upgrade New Yorkâs Crumbling Infrastructure
The cityâs aging and inadequate transportation system is long overdue for an overhaul
By Observer on February 18, 2015
Throughout New Yorkâs history, change has been a constant feature of the cityâs transportation infrastructure. Well, it used to be.
Aside from the long-delayed Second Avenue subway, civil engineers havenât had much work to do in the past five decades. A time traveler from 1961 would find the cityâs traffic patterns, street grid, highways, subway lines, river crossings and airports basically the same.
New Yorkâs second-newest major bridge, the Throgs Neck, opened nine days before JFK delivered his âask not what your countryâ inaugural address. The Verrazano came in 1964. Then that was itâunless you count the link between Rikers Island and Queens in 1966. Aside from a few extensions on the outer borders of Queens and the minor 63rd Street tunnel, the subway looks much the way it did during World War II. For many New Yorkers, getting to LaGuardia still requires a cab. Ditto for JFK, despite the half-assed AirTrain.
The Center for an Urban Future recently concluded that too much of our âessential infrastructure remains stuck in the 20th century,â posing a barrier âfor a city positioning itself to compete with other global cities.â
There is little reason to believe things will improve. Despite Mayor Bill de Blasioâs recently announced plan to add some ferry routes launching in 2017, his administration has reduced infrastructure spending from budgets under Mayor Michael Bloombergâwho devoted most of that money to new parks and schools.
New stuff? As the parking sign says, donât even think about it.
But thatâs a choice.
Throughout 2nd Avenue Subway Build, Local Businesses See Fewer Customers, No Aid
By Shannon Ho. on February 23, 2015
The new 2nd Ave subway tunnel in early February, 2015 (photo: William Alatriste)
With the first phase of the 2nd Avenue subway line set to be completed by December 2016, construction-weary business owners and residents are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even through the drilling smoke and fences that have become ubiquitous on the Upper East Side. Even so, the damage of a process that is approaching its eighth anniversary has left the surrounding area worse for wear, with businesses leaving in droves and residents finding the essence of their neighborhood completely disrupted.
And itâs just the first section, from 63rd Street to 96th Street, of the new line aimed at increasing transportation options and reducing overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue lines.
The process has left local businesses suffering the adverse effects. Almost half of the businesses between 68th Street and 95th Street that saw the beginning of the 2nd Avenue construction have moved or closed within the last 5 years due to declining revenues, according to the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC). Of the 441 storefronts that are currently situated on the Upper East Side stretch, 242 have been operating there since 2009, MCC says.
The Chamber has kept a steady record of declining foot traffic on 2nd Avenue since the commencement of the subway project, in April of 2007. MCC President Nancy Ploeger said the biggest disappointment to come from the past eight years has been the lack of tax credit for business owners.
âWe would have hoped there would be more support for these businesses during a ten-year project,â Ploeger said. âIt wasnât an eight-month project, it was ten years.â
Why the Second Ave. subway could be delayedâagain
If the Metropolitan Transportation Authorityâs budget debate is not resolved in the next 18 months, the agency could be forced to refund money to contractors on expansion projects, its chairman said Wednesday.
By AP on February 25, 2015
(AP) â Itâs an ominous refrain, repeated endlessly in the same automated monotone: âLadies and gentlemen, we are delayed because of train traffic ahead of us.â
Every New Yorker who rides the subway to work each dayâall 6 million, on the busiest daysâhas heard that message echoed over loudspeakers when a train car comes to an unexpected halt. What most commuters donât realize is that those delays are tied to a contentious political fight playing out over the
Metropolitan Transportation Authorityâs five-year capital budget plan, which will fund critical improvements and repairs to the cityâs sprawling transit system.
Right now, the MTA is struggling to find funding sources for about half of that $32 billion plan. The agency could be forced to refund money to contractors on expansion projects like the East Side access projectâwhich will connect the
Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminalâif the budget debate isnât resolved 18 months from now, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said at a board meeting Wednesday.
âA year or two, weâre OK,â Mr. Prendergast said. âBut as you start to get down that path, we get to the point where we donât have that money, we canât award design contracts, we canât award construction projects.â
Another major project at risk is the new subway line that will run along Second Avenue, Mr. Prendergast said.
âCould we start the next phase of the Second Avenue subway? That would be one that would be up on the table,â he said.
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Second Avenue Subway Update: January and February 2015
Second Avenue Subway Update: January and February 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: January and February 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: January and February 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: January and February 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: January and February 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
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Second Ave. subway project will be cut short if funding doesnât come through, MTA chief says
BY PETE DONOHUE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Monday, March 2, 2015, 2:53 PM
Forget about the Second Ave. subway going beyond Midtown if an MTA funding crisis isnât solved, Gov. Cuomoâs transit chief said Monday.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Tom Prendergast said the first item on the chopping block would be expansion projects like the next phase of the Second Ave. subway.
The MTAâs planned five-year capital plan has a $15 billion funding gap. System âenhancementsâ like next-train countdown clocks, which are planned for the lettered subway lines, also would be whacked, Prendergast said while testifying before two state Senate committees in Albany.
The first section of the Second Ave. subway â with new stations at 96th, 86th and 72nd Sts. â is expected to open in December 2016. Southbound trains would switch to the Broadway line at the existing Q and F-train station at 63rd St. Northbound trains would head north beneath Second Ave. after stopping at 63rd St. and Lexington Ave.
The next phase would expand service north to 125th St. in Harlem. Eventually, the line would run down to the southern tip of Manhattan.
The top priority for funding in the 2015-2019 capital program, if additional revenues arenât found, is the âcoreâ of the plan, he said. That $22 billion segment encompasses the nuts-and-bolts work of repairing and replacing equipment like rails, switches, signals and fan plants that clear smoke out of tunnels when small fires erupt, he said.
âIt may not be that interesting to somebody if they donât see a (power) substation or they donât see cables going to a third rail, but if we donât maintain that, and thatâs a safety and reliability issue, then we could have a safety and reliability problem,â Prendergast said. âAnd so we have to protect that core of $22 billion.â
Gov. Cuomo has said transit funding would be part of the state budget negotiations in Albany. The state budget is supposed to be adopted by April 1.
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I hope they get it through. We need these projects. Mass transit improvement is crucial for sustaining the boom and growth cycle.
Evening, do you see them resolving this?
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I canât say for sure but sections of the tunnels are already there and should cost about the same according to Benjamin Kabak.
MTA Chairman Says 2nd Avenue Subway Expansion In Jeopardy Without Funding
March 3, 2015 8:08 AM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) â Plans to extend the Second Avenue subway line south of Midtown could go off the rails unless the MTAâs funding crisis is solved, according to New Yorkâs transit chief.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Thomas Prendergast testified in Albany Monday about the scramble to fill the $15 billion gap in the MTAâs five-year capital plan.
The agency has asked both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for more funding.
But without it, Prendergast says expansion projects like the Second Avenue subway and long-awaited subway countdown clocks will be the first items on the chopping block.
The project, which has been underway since 2007, aims to extend the Q train from 57th Street and 7th Avenue across town to 96th Street and Second Avenue then up to 125th Street.
Itâs also slated to add a new T train which will run from 125th Street to Hanover Square in lower Manhattan.
The subwayâs first section is set to open in December 2016, with new stations at 96th, 86th and 72nd streets. But Prendergast now says if the MTA canât get the funding, that could be the end of the line.
Another project that could be disrupted is bringing the Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central Terminal.
Cuomo has said transit funding would be part of the state budget negotiations in Albany. The state budget is supposed to be adopted by April 1.
Second Avenue Subway Update: February 27, 2015
Second Avenue Subway Update: February 27, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: February 27, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: February 27, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: February 27, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
Second Avenue Subway Update: February 27, 2015 by MTAPhotos, on Flickr
The Second Avenue subway, alligators and Babe Ruth
By Mike Vogel on March 10th, 2015
The MTA takes the media on a tour of the 86th Street cavern of the Second Avenue Subway on Thursday in Manhattan. (July 11, 2013). (Credit: Charles Eckert)
We have our fair share of urban legends in NYC. Alligators are thriving in our sewers. The Yankees wear pinstripes because Babe Ruth wanted to appear slimmer. The Second Avenue subway will run in our lifetimes.
The MTA recently said that if doesnât get the funding it requested, the first thing to go will be construction on the next phase of the Second Avenue subway.
If you are reading this and are younger than 90, you may actually still believe the grand Second Avenue subway propositions and promises. But ask your grandparents and great-grandparents what they were told in 1929 and 1944. Yep, that the Second Avenue subway should be up and running any day.
The MTA and its predecessor have vowed for decades to end congestion on the East Side of Manhattan with this much needed project. And they start. And stop. And move forward. And pull back. For 86 years! Yes, Q train service may (or may not) soon be expanded to the Upper East Sideâs 96th Street station. But sorry, thatâs not the long promised Second Avenue subway.
In addition to possibly ditching this project, MTA chairman Tom Prendergast told Albany lawmakers that expansion of the popular countdown clocks to lettered subway lines would also be chopped if the agency doesnât get the $15 billion it needs for its capital plan.
Perhaps the MTA is simply using the threat of abandoning the popular and necessary Second Avenue subway and clock projects as leverage to get funding it requested. But the MTAâs track record on keeping its promises, establishing priorities and satisfying the needs of riders is, to be kind, a bit lacking.
Meanwhile, MTA fares are going up an average of 4 percent on March 22. And thatâs one promise you know the agency will keep.
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Readers Write: Second Avenue line stuck in the slow lane
Posted: Thursday, March 12, 2015 2:47 pm
Recent announcements that due to the Metropolitan Transportation Authorityâs $15.2 billion dollar shortfall in the proposed $32 billion 2015-2019 Capital Program that the next phase for construction of the Second Avenue subway is nothing new.
A trip down memory lane will help explain why progress has been so slow for construction of the long anticipated Metropolitan Transportation Authority Second Avenue subway.
The first of four segments for the new Second Avenue Subway (consisting of three stations between 96th Street and 63rd Street on the east side of Manhattan) cost $4.5 billion or $2 billion per mile.
Good news is that this portion of the work is on schedule and within budget.
One trick used by transit managers to complete any project within budget, is to drop a portion of the original scope of work. This saves the necessary dollars which were not available to deliver 100 percent of what was originally promised. The dirty little secret no one will talk about is that in an attempt to save costs, a decision was made early on in the project to delete a third center express track which was part of the original proposed project scope.
This saved having to construct a third tunnel which would have easily cost well over $1 billion.
Angry subway riders rip Cuomo over miserable commutes
By Amber Sutherland and Rebecca HarshbargerMarch 15, 2015 | 4:21pm
Angry subway riders ripped Gov. Cuomo on Sunday for what they called deteriorating transit service â and even made posters about their miserable commutes while calling for more funding for the MTA.
The advocacy group Riders Alliance collected stories about ridersâ commutes from hell at the Atlantic Avenue- Barclays Center station in Brooklyn to share with Cuomo and the state legislature in Albany.
The group said it has seen a major increase in complaints from its members about service problems in recent weeks.
âThe subway service has been atrocious recently, and people get frustrated with the MTA,â said Alliance Executive Director John Raskin. âPeople need to take their frustrations to Gov. Cuomo and the state legislature.â
Rider Lauren Houston, 36, of Astoria, Queens, said service has really deteriorated.
âŚThe MTA is facing a $15 billion deficit in its upcoming capital plan, which funds big projects such as the Second Avenue subway and bringing the LIRR to Grand Central.
The MTA said full funding of its upcoming capital plan would help them strengthen and grow the transit system.
Cuomo oversees the agency, and he and the legislature approve funding for it.
âAs subway ridership continues to grow past 6 million a day, fully funding the MTAâs 2015-2019 Capital Program will let us renew, enhance and expand the MTA network,â the agency said in a statement.
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FOR NEW YORKERS, the Second Avenue Subway is something of a punchline, an accepted local synonym for âwhen pigs fly.â Itâs easy to see why: City officials have been talking about a second line on Manhattanâs East Side since the 1920s, and the construction has been delayed so many times that former man-in-charge Michael Bloomberg says heâs got a 50-50 shot at living to see it open (heâs 72).
The line eventually will run 8.5 miles under Second Avenue from Harlem to the Financial District. New Yorkâs Metropolitan Transportation Authority says the first phase, from 57th Street to 96th Street, will open in 2016, after nine years and some $4.45 billion. Still, itâs easy to be skeptical of either one of those numbers, even if you arenât a jaded and cynical New Yorker.
Thanks
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MTA Works to Minimize Record Crowds on City Subways
By NY1 News on Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 04:19 PM EDT
Overcrowded subways are causing more delays across the cityâs transit system.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, there were nearly 13,000 delays because of overcrowding in January. Thatâs almost double the number of delays in the same month last year.
The Second Avenue subway is expected to ease overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue lines and the MTA says three of the new stations will open by December of next year.
Transit officials say work on the 86th Street stop needs to be sped up to avoid delaying the projectâs completion.
M.T.A. officials predict further delays to 7 extension
By Kelly Weill on March 23, 2015
âŚCommittee members also weighed in on the deadlines for the M.T.A.âs ongoing Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access projects.
The Second Avenue line is âon schedule to meet the December 2016 revenue service date,â the committee said in a report. But some minor construction obstacles might challenge the launch date. A delay in installing power to the 96th, 86th, and 72nd Street stations could have âa direct impact on project contingency,â the report said. Other delays might stem from stalled construction on a station entrance at 69th Street, and a two-month delay to track installation, the report said.
About artwork in the new subway stations.
New Book Casts Spotlight On NYCâs Underground Artworks
3/25/2015 @ 11:00PM
âŚThe new book contains information on some 100 works of art installed over the past eight years and about works that have been commissioned but are not installed yet, such as those for the new Second Avenue Subway stations and extended 7 line.
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The Commute: We Still Need To Reinvent The MTA
By Allan Rosen on March 30, 2015
THE COMMUTE: New Yorkers started paying more last week to ride the buses and trains. The MTA claims it needs the extra money to provide better service, but will the extra money result in better service, or will it just disappear into the MTAâs black hole? Has any past fare increase resulted in better service? No. Significant improvements have resulted from the MTAâs Capital Plan, but not from fare increases, which usually goes toward salary increases and pension costs.
Although ridership now is at an all-time high, service levels are less than what they were in the 1950s. Subway service used to operate at two-minute intervals on major lines (the minimum allowed under the current signal system) for the duration of the four-hour rush hour peaks, i.e. 7:00am to 9:00pm and from 5:00pm to 7:00pm Mondays through Fridays.
âŚHowever, a higher fare will not result in the completion of the Second Avenue Subway to relieve the severe overcrowding seen by riders of the Lexington Avenue line. Thatâs where the MTA Capital Plan comes in, which we will discuss in the future.
Second Avenue Subway Community Information Center Welcomes 10,000th Visitor
April 01st, 2015
MTA Capital Construction welcomed its 10,000th visitor to the Second Avenue Subway Community information Center (CIC) on April 1st. Alisa Becker, who lives in the 96th Street station area was greeted by MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu as she walked in the door. Horodniceanu presented her with a plaque containing a piece of Manhattan Schist attached. The rock was excavated from below Second Avenue where the tunnels and caverns were excavated to construct the subway. She was also guaranteed a spot on a future community tour of the cavern.
Since opening in July 2013, the CIC has become a hub for the community most impacted by construction as a âone stop shopâ for all of their Second Avenue Subway-related information. It also serves other New York City residents and tourists who are fascinated by the first new subway line construction project in over 80 years. Visitors can learn about the history and construction of the project, express complaints and concerns, or ask questions to project staff.
The center runs monthly programming, including: Transit Talks, where a project expert speaks to a topic of interest; childrenâs events, where NYC children can learn about subway construction, try on safety equipment, and participate in an art project; and community tours, which take dozens of community members underground each month to see the progress first hand. Those who participate in CIC programming often become ambassadors for the project and the positive impact it will have on the Upper East Side community.
To date, the CIC has hosted over 50 presentations for area school groups on engineering, construction and the Second Avenue Subway; hosted 48 community tours showing more than 1,500 residents the caverns, tunnels, and stations at various stages of construction, and welcomed foreign governments, trade associations, and real estate professionals to learn about the project.
âŚ
About the Second Avenue Subway
Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway will serve more than 200,000 people per day, reducing overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue Line and restoring a transit link to a neighborhood that lost the Second Avenue Elevated in 1940. It will also reduce travel times by up to 10 minutes or more (up to 27 percent) for those on the far east side or those traveling from the east side to west midtown.
The line is being built in four phases, with the first phase providing service from 96th Street to 63rd Street as an extension of the train. Passengers can stay on the train to travel to the West Side, Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn via the Broadway line. Three new ADA-accessible stations are being built along Second Avenue at 96th, 86th and 72nd Streets, as well as new entrances to the existing Lexington Av/63 Street Station at 63rd Street and Third Avenue. Further phases of the project will extend the line from 125th Street in Harlem to Hanover Square in the Financial District.