The Metropolitan Transportation Authority halted work on Phase 2 of the $7.7 billion Second Avenue subway extension roughly two weeks after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) indefinitely paused a planned congestion pricing program.
The project is among “a couple of cases” in which the agency “issued stop-work orders on projects that do not strictly meet our ‘state of good repair’ requirement,” the chief said of MTA construction and development, Jamie Torres-Springer, to reporters in June. 18.
Hochul—that rubbed the Controversial congestion pricing program faces at least eight legal challenges before it takes effect June 30—said at a separate news conference that his administration will find funding for the project. The project would add connections between New York City subway lines 4, 5, 6 and Q to the Metro-North Railroad, a commuter rail service to points north of the city to help reduce congestion on other subway lines.
A loss of the estimated $15 billion in funding that depends on congestion pricing going into effect leaves a big hole in the MTA’s $54.8 billion 2020-2024 capital program..
“We’ve been saying since Governor Hochul deferred congestion pricing that the future of New York City as we know it is in jeopardy,” Carlo Scissura., the president and CEO of the New York Building Congress said in a statement. “[This week’s] the MTA’s actions to halt work on the Second Avenue subway extension sadly—and maddeningly—demonstrate this. And the people of Harlem will suffer the consequences. It’s been two weeks, no silver bullet here. We need congestion pricing to move forward on June 30 – this fatal spiral of dragging the MTA back into the bad old days is only going to get worse, and so will our roads.”
Queens contractor CAC was working on a $182 million utility relocation contract it won in January when the stop-work order was found. So far, the only other work done by the project teams was moving the bike lane from Second Avenue to First Avenue.
Other projects on hold include signal modernization work on the Fulton Line subway in Brooklyn and the Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan, accessibility improvements at 18 subway stations and other improvements at dozens more stations, infrastructure installation of charging for electric buses at 11 depots, electrification of the Metro-North. The Hudson Line south of Croton-Harmon and several repairs in good condition to aging infrastructure, according to the MTA.
