OP-ED: Winners and losers for transportation project in Metro NYC Area

April 1, 2022
The Biden Administration's FY23 funding recommendations for projects shed light on which projects it's ready to back and which may need further planning work.

There is both good and bad news when you see what is missing after reading the announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg concerning the president’s FY23 budget requests of $21.1 billion for transit and $17.9 billion for rail. It also included the release of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) FY23 Capital Investment Grants (CIG) Program funding recommendations.

Transit advocates, supporters and various other transit agencies might want to ask Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Janno Lieber what happened to many other projects that did not make the cut under the FTA CIG or other federal funded programs.

Making available $400 million in federal funding toward the $6.9-billion MTA Second Avenue Subway Phase Two project on top of $100 million Sen. Schumer previously had allocated leaves a shortfall of $2.9 billion toward the total $3.4 billion in federal funding the MTA is seeking toward a future $6.9 billion FTA Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA). It would be illegal for the MTA to proceed with award of construction contracts which could easily cost billions until all the funding is secured.

Making available $100 million in federal funding toward the $12.6 billion Gateway Tunnel Project leaves a shortfall of $5.4 billion toward the total federal funding the Gateway Development Corporation seeks on behalf of Amtrak and New Jersey Transit toward a future $6.3 billion FTA FFGA.

MTA NYC Transit Canarsie Line Power and Station Improvements $336 million is still available. Why year after year, has the MTA been unable to secure an approved FTA FFGA for this project?

New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) Woodhaven Blvd. Select Bus Service Small Starts $97 million federal share for the total $258 million project cost. NYCDOT has been unable to secure an approved FTA FFGA for this project going on five years.

The following projects failed to even gain admission to the 2023 CIG program under project development. Since it averages five years after being admitted before receipt of any FTA FFGA, it is doubtful you will ever see a shovel in the ground until 2028 or later for the following projects:

  • The $2.2 billion Light Rail between Jamaica and Long Island City on the old Lower Montauk LIRR branch in Queens.
  • The $8 billion plus for restoration of Long Island Rail Road service on the old Rockaway Queens branch.
  • The Triboro X Subway Express (new subway line connecting the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn would require several billion); in 2022, we have Gov. Hochul's proposed Interborough Express which would connect Brooklyn to Queens via subway, light rail or bus rapid transit minus a link to the Bronx. All we know about the potential cost is that MTA Chairman Janno Lieber has said the price tag would be under $10 billion. He implies that the tab could run from several up to $9.9 billion.
  • The $2.7 billion plus for the NYC Department of Economic Development Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront Street Car Connector.
  • Last year, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new Penn Station South Station at a cost of $8 billion. This was also part of his $16 billion Empire Station Complex proposal. Gov. Hochul has her own $7 billion reduced scope proposal for similar Penn Station improvements.
  • The new Port Authority 42nd Street Manhattan Bus Terminal needs $10 billion. Only $3.5 of the estimated $10 billion cost is actually approved within the current 2016 - 2026 Port Authority Capital Plan. They are counting on future federal assistance to make up the shortfall.
  • The Port Authority Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel requires $10 billion. This year the project will celebrate its 31st year anniversary of being stuck in the planning and environmental review phase.
  • The $2 billion Kennedy Airport One Seat Ride has been the subject of previous planning studies going back decades.
  • The $3.6 billion LIRR electrification of Port Jefferson branch from Huntington to Port Jefferson was originally discussed in the 1980s.
  • Planning studies have been underway for seventeen years to advance the $400 million Nassau Hub Bus Rapid Transit.
  • The Metro North West Bronx Penn Station Access via the Manhattan west side Amtrak Empire Corridor project estimated cost is $400 million.
  • NYC Transit Utica Avenue subway extension construction costs could be $5 billion.
  • The $800 million new NYC Transit #7 subway station at 10th Avenue & 41st. This was deleted from original $2.4 billion Hudson Yard#7 subway extension to save $500 million.
  • The Red Hook Brooklyn subway extension from NYC Transit #1 subway line from the Rector Street downtown Manhattan station to Red Hook at a cost of $3.5 billion.
  • The NYC Transit Staten Island North Shore Bus Rapid Transit $600 million project.
  • The NYC Transit Staten Island West Shore Bus Rapid Transit $1.485 billion project.

New Jersey Transit has several billion dollars worth of other potential new system expansion projects including $619 million for a Third Track between Warwick and Suffern, $752 million for Leigh Third and Fourth Tracks and $474 million for Westbound Waterfront Connector which would provide increased capacity and operations flexibility. Previous NJT proposed system expansion projects included Northern Branch Corridor ($1.3 billion), Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex ($500 million), West Trenton Line ($400 million), Lackawanna Cutoff full build ($600 million) and Central NJ Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit ($500 million).

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Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for the MTA, NYC Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro North Rail Road MTA Bus, New Jersey Transit along with 30 other transit agencies in NY & NJ.

About the Author

Larry Penner

Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for New Jersey Transit, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Transit bus, subway and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North railroads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with 30 other transit agencies in New York and New Jersey.