“Federal funding for the first new subway line in a generation is on track,” said Rep. Maloney. “This full-funding grant agreement is a giant piece of the puzzle needed to build the Second Avenue Subway.  I thank Governor Spitzer and Speaker Silver for their unwavering support for this crucial project.”

“This is fantastic news for New York straphangers, especially those on the ‘Lex line,’ the most overcrowded subway in the nation,” Maloney added.  “We can’t keep stuffing more people into the same space – and the Second Avenue Subway will reduce crowding on the Lex line by 13 percent.”

“As New York looks to improve mobility along the most heavily traveled transit corridor in the country, federal funding will be critical,” said Governor Spitzer.  "The Second Avenue Subway holds great promise for the economic development of New York City and today's news brings us one step closer to realizing its future potential."

“The Second Avenue Subway is one of the most important and needed transportation projects in the region, which is why I fought for the initial commitment of state funding to once-and-for-all get this project moving.  I am delighted that Congresswoman Maloney and the New York Congressional delegation have joined in a cooperative effort to see this project through to completion,” Silver said. “In addition to easing overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue line, the full-build Second Avenue Subway will provide significant benefits to Lower Manhattan.”

Last week, the FTA gave a mandatory 60-day notice to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, and the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee that it intends to approve the grant agreement for the subway. 

The agreement, which requires no further Congressional action to take effect, is expected to be signed in December. 

The $1.3 billion in federal funding, combined with $1.05 billion previously dedicated to the project by the State of New York, and $450 million approved by New York voters in the 2005 Transportation Bond Act, will provide the lion’s share of the funding needed to built the subway’s first phase.  This first segment will include stops at 96th, 86th and 72nd Streets, and tunnels from 99th to 62nd Streets. At 63rd Street, the new subway line will link onto the existing Q-line tracks, providing a one-seat ride from the Upper East Side to Times Square, Wall Street, and Brooklyn.

Background

Rep. Maloney led efforts to resuscitate the Second Avenue Subway after the project had lain dormant for decades.  The subway project, as planned, would run primarily through the 14th Congressional District, which Maloney represents.  In 1999, Speaker Silver would not accept an MTA capital plan without a full-build subway and substantial funding.  His efforts paid off to the tune of $1.05 billion in state funds.

The full-length Second Avenue Subway will be an 8 ½ mile two-track line beginning at 125th street and ending in Hanover Square in lower Manhattan.  Construction of the full-length Second Avenue Subway has been divided into four phases, each of which will produce a minimum operating segment that will carry a significant number of passengers.  Once completed, the first subway phase will carry more than 200,000 riders each day and relieve massive congestion on the most overcrowded subway routes in the nation: the 4, 5, and 6 trains on Manhattan's East Side.

April 16, 2007: Rep. Maloney: “The Fourth Time is the Charm For the Second Avenue Subway”

April 18, 2006: FTA Approves Final Design Phase for the 2nd Avenue Subway

###