NY Governor orders acceleration of bridge, tunnel construction
The aggressive schedule ensures major construction projects will be completed by July 8 to reduce vehicular congestion during Amtrak's extended period of widespread reduced service.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered an acceleration of the construction on MTA bridges and tunnels to mitigate the effects of additional vehicles on the road caused by Amtrak's emergency repair work this summer. This aggressive schedule ensures major construction projects will be completed by July 8 to reduce vehicular congestion during Amtrak's extended period of widespread reduced service.
The governor's order will mean that all major commuting crossings will be cashless and all lanes will be open during the daytime.
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"Our top priority is ensuring all New Yorkers can get where they need to go as quickly and easily as possible this summer and we're taking every conceivable step to prepare for Amtrak's summer of hell," Gov. Cuomo said. "By aggressively expediting construction we are taking action to ease commutes and provide New Yorkers with peace of mind."
A special interagency team, composed of the Governor's Office, the Department of Transportation, and the MTA, is overseeing the expedited construction. In May, Gov. Cuomo directed the MTA to develop a comprehensive mitigation plan to combat the Pennsylvania Station summer crisis. Amtrak is proposing repairs that would reduce the number of trains at Pennsylvania Station by approximately 20% during peak travel times, and as a result, commuters searching for alternative methods of transportation will crush an already overburdened subway system and clog roads and bridges.
Construction projects that will be accelerated for completion by July 8, include work on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, Queens-Midtown Tunnel, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, and Hugh L Carey Tunnel.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
