Extra Billion To Repair Storm Damage
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo welcomed an additional $1 billion allocation for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to pay the costs of recovering from Hurricane Sandy and rebuilding damaged elements of the MTA’s subway, bus and commuter rail system.
The $1 billion in funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) comes in addition to more than $193 million in initial reimbursement allocated earlier this month to MTA New York City Transit, MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road, and $3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for MTA Bridges and Tunnels.
“New York worked hard to make its case to Congress that the unprecedented damage to our vital transportation network deserved immediate federal help for recovery,” Cuomo said. “I’m glad the MTA is continuing to get the help it needs to be reimbursed for its Sandy costs.”
“The MTA did an outstanding job restoring service to our customers after suffering the worst damage ever to befall our transportation network, but we are still working very hard behind the scenes to replace damaged equipment, rebuild infrastructure and restore the system to the way it was before Sandy struck,” added MTA Acting Chairman Fernando Ferrer. “This latest round of funding is a strong statement of support for our progress from the federal government.”
The MTA system suffered an estimated $4.755 billion worth of damage as railroad and subway lines, vehicular tunnels, subway stations and power and signal equipment were inundated with corrosive salt water during Sandy.
While temporary repairs have kept most of the MTA network running, the A subway line in the Rockaways must be completely rebuilt before its scheduled summer reopening. The South Ferry subway station was destroyed and will need years of renovation work, but the old loop station there will reopen in the first week of April.
Nine subway tubes under the East River and Newtown Creek were flooded with salt water, as were several subway yards and terminal stations.
The Long Island Rail Road saw tremendous damage on its Long Beach Branch, where the terminal complex and yard were flooded with a mixture of salt water and overflow from a nearby sewage plant. Metro- North Railroad suffered significant damage to its power and signals systems along its low-lying railroad tracks. Bridges and Tunnels had extensive flooding at both the Hugh L. Carey (formerly Brooklyn-Battery) and Queens Midtown tunnels.
The MTA’s transit projects will be eligible in the coming months for additional funds for critical repair and restoration projects, as well as mitigation and resiliency measures from the FTA’s Emergency Relief program.
The MTA will also apply to FEMA for additional federal funding for recovery work at its seven bridges and two tunnels.
