The MTA has halted construction on a long-anticipated expansion of the Second Avenue subway. The high-profile project is among nearly 100 transit upgrades relying on $10 billion in federal dollars that the state must locally match — a funding stream in jeopardy after Gov. Kathy Hochul’s indefinite pause on the implementation of congestion pricing.
An expansion of the Q subway line from 96th Street on the Upper East Side to 125th Street in Harlem is the first of likely many more projects that the MTA must shelve without the $15 billion in revenue congestion pricing tolls were expected to generate for transit projects, according to analysis by a coalition of influential business, transit and climate groups.
“We have stopped work on Second Avenue subway,” Jamie Torres-Springer, the MTA’s head of construction and development, acknowledged Tuesday. “There are a lot of projects that we will not be able to build, and we’ll be focusing on state of good repair.”
The lack of anticipated congestion pricing funds also means that the MTA won’t be able to tap into billions in federal funds, which would have helped pay for the subway extension and other projects, because accessing those dollars requires the MTA to put up matching funds — money that the congestion pricing tolls would have generated.
The pause on congestion pricing throws into doubt $15 billion, and that money unlocks another up to $9.9 billion in funds allocated by the Federal Transit Administration, according to the new analysis.
The organizations including the the Real Estate Board of New York, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Riders Alliance shared the analysis, along with their concerns for the local economy, in a Tuesday letter to the MTA and federal transit officials. Among the projects at risk of missing out on billions in federal dollars are accessible station upgrades, track replacement, signal modernization, power upgrades, new railcars and more.
“As stated, the federal funding for these projects totals nearly $10 billion. The state contribution is $14.7 billion,” the Tuesday letter states. “We were deeply dismayed when the congestion pricing program was put on pause by Gov. Hochul, and we worry that a delay will have significant, long-term impacts on the MTA’s ability to pay for its current capital program and jeopardize future capital programs.”
The coalition is an unusually diverse group that also includes the Regional Plan Association, the New York Building Congress and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, among others.
Kate Slevin, executive vice president of RPA, which is spearheading the coalition, said she fears the “cascading effect” the halt on the Second Avenue subway extension could kick off for other major projects that would enhance service for mass transit riders.
“The loss of congestion pricing has ripple effects beyond just what we know now, in terms of federal aid, construction jobs, air quality and public health,” Slevin said in an interview. “There’s just a huge amount of uncertainty around what this means, but what we do know is the magnitude of the problems that are created without congestion pricing revenue.”
Caroline Spivack , 2024-06-19 18:49:16
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