MTA Halts Second Ave Subway Construction Following Congestion Pricing Pause

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority halted work on the Phase 2 of the $7.7-billion Second Avenue subway extension approximately two weeks after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) indefinitely paused a planned congestion pricing program.

The project is among “a couple of cases” in which the agency “issued stop-work orders on projects that do not strictly meet our ‘state of good repair’ requirement,” MTA’s construction and development head Jamie Torres-Springer told reporters on June 18.

Hochul—who hit the brakes on the controversial congestion pricing program facing at least eight legal challenges before it was due to take effect June 30—said in a separate news conference that her administration will find funding for the project. The project would add connections between the New York City subway’s 4, 5, 6 and Q lines into the Metro-North Railroad, a commuter rail service to points north of the city in order to help reduce congestion on other subway lines. 

A loss of the estimated $15 billion in funding that is contingent on the congestion pricing going into effect leaves a large hole in the MTA’s $54.8-billion 2020-2024 capital program.

“We have said from the moment Gov. Hochul postponed congestion pricing that the future of New York City as we know it is in danger,” Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the New York Building Congress said in a statement. “[This week’s] actions by the MTA to stop work on the Second Avenue Subway expansion sadly—and maddeningly—proves that point. And the residents of Harlem will suffer the consequences. It’s been two weeks—there is no silver bullet here. We need congestion pricing to move forward on June 30—this doom spiral of dragging the MTA back to the bad old days will only get worse, as will our roadways.” 

Queens-based contractor C.A.C. was working on a $182 million utility relocation contract it won in January when the stop work order came across. To date, the only other work completed by crews on the project was to relocate the Second Ave. bike lane to First Ave.

Other projects on hold include signal modernization work on the Fulton line subway in Brooklyn and the Sixth Avenue line in Manhattan, accessibility improvements at 18 subway stations and other upgrades at dozens more stations, installation of charging infrastructure for electric buses at 11 depots, electrification of the Metro-North Hudson Line south of Croton-Harmon and various state-of-good-repair works for aging infrastructure, according to MTA. 

Justin Rice is Editor for ENR MidAtlantic and ENR New England