MTA Projects to Reshape New York

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority recently expressed how the agency's portfolio of megaprojects will reshape the New York metropolitan area, drive local and regional economic growth, create new jobs, and connect communities that have been historically disadvantaged.

“2022 was a banner year for MTA C&D and our capital program, and we’re just getting started,” said Jamie Torres-Springer, MTA construction and development president. “The projects C&D builds have a transformative power on the communities they serve, increasing access to jobs and housing and everything the metropolitan region has to offer. And we’ll deliver on these projects all while driving down costs and working efficiently.”

The projects include:

• Governor Hochul’s planned Interborough Express will transform Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods by reducing commute times between the two boroughs and opening up options to travel to Manhattan and Long Island. By using the existing 14-mile freight line, made up of the LIRR-owned Bay Ridge Branch and CSX-owned Fremont Secondary, the new line can be built faster, according to MTA's news release. The IBX will connect communities to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. The next stage of this project is the environmental review process, expected to be completed over the next two years.
• The MTA will connect disadvantaged communities through the construction of four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, connecting the East Bronx neighborhoods of Hunts Point, Morris Park, Co-op City, and Parkchester/Van Nest directly to Penn Station. This service will save some residents up to 50 minutes a day in commute times and open up reverse commuting opportunities along Metro-North lines. By optimizing existing infrastructure in the form of Amtrak’s Hell Gate line, C&D will minimize the construction impact on surrounding communities. At the end of 2022, the MTA broke ground on the first phase of this project. The design and construction phase will continue in 2023.
• The second phase of the Second Avenue Subway will bring more transit options to the residents of East Harlem and its surrounding areas by extending the line into the neighborhood and adding three new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible stations at 106 St, 116 St, and 125 St. Extending the line to 125 St will increase transit connectivity by providing transfers to the 4,5,6 lines, Metro-North, and the M60 Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport. With more transit options, crowding will decrease along the lines and on local buses. Customers will be able to save up to 20 minutes on commute times. The MTA will break ground on Phase 2 in 2023.
• Work to transform and reimagine Penn Station has already begun. By the end of the project, commuters will experience a more accessible station that will be a light-filled 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility. Travelers will have double the space for circulation with 18 new escalators and 11 new elevators that will be added to increase accessibility options to reach platforms. C&D will continue to advance the design phase in 2023.
• Modernizing the 8th Av Line in Manhattan and the Fulton Av Line in Brooklyn will address delays caused by an outdated signaling system by replacing it with modern signals that will provide more accurate information on train locations. Work along the 8th Av Line will be completed in 2023, and a contract award for the Fulton Av section stretching from High St. and Euclid Av is forthcoming.
• In order to support the increased capacity that CBTC will provide on the 8th Av Line, an underground power substation will be built on West 28 St between Eighth and Ninth avenues. This substation will serve to power some of the system’s busiest stations, including 59 St-Columbus Circle, Times Sq-42 St, 34 St – Penn Station, and Fulton St.
• The 2020-24 Capital Program accelerates the MTA’s mission to make subways 95% accessible by awarding $5.2 billion in projects in 2023 including upgrades set to open at 12 stations.

In 2022, C&D awarded $11.4 billion in new projects.