Due to increasing costs, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) voted to scale back the Second Avenue Subway project. The third track that was to be installed to allow trains to bypass stalled cars will be removed. The change will result in longer wait times when cars go out of service, but will cut $90 million from the $16 billion project.

Senator Charles Schumer said that the MTA will receive $490 million in federal funds for two of its most expensive projects.

Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) presented a report that showed that two of the MTA’s federally-funded transit projects have positively stimulated the economy.

A year after the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) announced that it did not have the funds to complete the above-ground portion of the Fulton Transit center, the project is at a standstill. The MTA displaced 140 businesses in 2006 to make space for a domed station, and while work has moved forward on the underground portion of the station, there is no plan for the future above-ground.

Businesses along Second Avenue, most of which are locally owned, are being hurt by lack of access and street front space due to construction of the new subway line. Guisseppe Pecora, owner of Italian restaurant Delizia, is across the street from the construction but says that he is losing business from passerbys and taxis, and also that he has had electrical problems due to construction. Frank...

The Regional Plan Association (RPA) released a report on Thursday advocating for additional subway, bus and ferry service for underserved mass transit areas in New York City. Among the many recommendations include expanding the 2nd Avenue Subway to 3rd Avenue in the Bronx and including a spur of the 2nd Avenue Subway that would run east-west on 125th Street in Harlem. The RPA has said that transit...

Some are questioning the expense of building the long-delayed Second Avenue Subway. Joan Byron, director of the Sustainability and Environmental Justice Initiative at the Pratt Center for Community Development, has suggested Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as an alternative. BRT creates lanes dedicated to bus use, high capacity vehicles, prepaid fares and wireless technology for faster rides. Although...

The MTA has agreed to delay the construction of certain entrances to the 2nd Ave Subway until a full environmental review can be completed. Two of the entrances in question are on 72nd and 86th Streets, which are currently mid-block entrances. The MTA will study alternatives to the current design proposals.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has allocated $250 million in funding for the Second Avenue subway, says Senator Charles Schumer. The first phase of the project, which is currently under construction, is slated for completion in 2013.

Many major construction projects in the City have now been put on hold due to a cement truck driver's strike. Negotiations were unsuccessful yesterday, causing the union to strike which halted construction on projects already facing delays and budget issues. Continued negotiations are not expected to occur again until after the holiday weekend at the earliest.