NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Construction will start again on the Second Avenue Subway project after Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing, stopping the expansion in its tracks.
Hochul on Tuesday announced $54 million in state funding to unpause the project that would bring the Q train into Harlem, enough cash to award a contract for utility relocation, Hochul said.
“With this funding support identified by Governor Hochul from the State, the MTA can immediately proceed with the work to relocate utility lines along Second Avenue and nearby streets, putting the project in position to advance as scheduled while broader funding issues are resolved,” a spokesperson for Hochul’s office said in a news release.
The expansion, done in two phases, will extend the Second Avenue line to 125th Street with three new stations at 106th Street, 116th Street and 125th Street. Ultimately, the new T train will run express along the track.
The first phase brought the Q line up to 96th Street in 2017, and the second phase entered its planning phase in 2022.
When Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing in June, the Second Avenue line was one of multiple capital projects frozen for lack of funds.
But it's not all clear skies ahead for Hochul, whose decision to pause congestion pricing angered many New Yorkers.
"New Yorkers aren't fools. While favoring her pet projects but stalling congestion pricing, Governor Hochul leaves trains unreliable, stations inaccessible, buses and Access-a-Ride stuck in gridlock, and millions of riders facing steep fares hikes and deep service cuts,” Riders Alliance Policy and Communications Director Danny Pearlstein said of the Second Avenue line announcement.
Most recently, the MTA said the pause on congestion pricing could put some express bus routes on the chopping block as soon as September.
"With congestion pricing stopped by the governor, the MTA is now facing lower revenue and growing borrowing, maintenance, and overtime costs. To restore trust with transit riders and the federal government, Governor Hochul must start congestion pricing now," Pearlstein said.
