Albany, NY - January 24, 2014 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded $886.3 million to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to repair and rebuild infrastructure that was damaged by Superstorm Sandy and protect and fortify it against future storms. The funding will help state government continue to reimagine New York’s vital infrastructure for the new realities of extreme weather.

 

The grant builds on an initial allotment of $193.9 million announced by the FTA in March 2013. The MTA has spent almost $180 million so far on capital projects to rebuild and strengthen infrastructure damaged by Superstorm Sandy, and committed more than $750 million for specific Sandy recovery and resiliency projects, many of which are funded at least in part by the grant being announced today.

 

“With this funding, we are furthering our efforts to reimagine New York’s most vital infrastructure to meet the needs of extreme weather,” Governor Cuomo said. “This grant is critical to the continued health and viability of the New York metropolitan region’s $1.4 trillion economy. I am thankful for the support of the federal government in this endeavor, and know that it will go a long way to helping us build a stronger and more resilient New York.”

 

“There are many challenges a transit system faces in the months and years after suffering the types of severe impacts we did during Sandy,” MTA Chairman Thomas F. Prendergast said. “The work of rebuilding carries on behind the scenes long after the storm has left the public consciousness. At the same time that we are rebuilding an entire subway tunnel, we are fighting back against latent failures – unseen failures brought on by the storm that are waiting to happen – and reduced lifespan of components system wide. This funding is essential in helping us to address those needs and to allow us to continue to provide service at the same time that we build back stronger than we were before the storm.”

 

The majority of the funding to the MTA is going to MTA New York City Transit, which was dealt the most crippling blows by the storm surge and whose riders are still experiencing a lingering long-term service disruption as crews work to rebuild infrastructure with ongoing service disruptions on the R Line and weekend disruptions on the G Line.

 

The specific allocations for each MTA agency from the newly announced award are as follows:

• $615.6 million – MTA New York City Transit
• $145.7 million – MTA Long Island Rail Road
• $103.5 million – MTA Metro-North Railroad
• $21.4 million – MTA Capital Construction

 

Details for each project funded through this grant are given below.

 

MTA New York City Transit

 

 

Amount	Project / Description
$266.4 million	R Line - Montague Tube: Work is underway to replace systems in the R train’s Montague Tube under the East River, including track, switches, 30,000 feet of duct bank, 200,000 feet of communications cables, 75,000 feet of power cable, two pump rooms, a fan plant, two substations, three circuit breaker houses. More information: here and here
$89.1 million	G Line - Greenpoint Tube: Work is underway to restore the G Line’s Greenpoint Tube under Newtown Creek, including replacement of tunnel lighting, track, power and communication cable, signals, a pump room and a fan plant. More information: here.
$83.1 million	A Line - Rockaways: Reimbursement for completed work to restore A train service to the Rockaways. More information: here.
$77.4 million	Sandy Design & Pre-Engineering: Ongoing design for numerous upcoming repair projects including work needed in shops, yards, tubes, stations, depots and other facilities.
$19.6 million	Fare collection equipment: Replacement of damaged Subway / Select Bus Service fare collection equipment. This includes the purchase of an armored vehicle damaged at the Maspeth revenue processing facility, which flooded.
$18.5 million	7 Line - Steinway Tube: Work to restore the 7 Line’s Steinway Tube under the East River is taking place during night and weekend outages that were already planned for the modernization of signal system through upgrading to communications-based train control (CBTC).
$15.2 million	South Ferry: Cleanup of the South Ferry 1 Station opened in 2009 and re-opening of the 1 Line’s South Ferry Loop Station. Work to rebuild/rehabilitate the 2009 South Ferry Station will be funded separately. More information: here.
$13.9 million	Pump Trains: Conversion of existing rolling stock into two new pump trains, increasing New York City Transit’s subway water-pumping capacity. Currently there are three pump trains and 14 under river tubes. Work is underway, with both new trains expected to be complete by May 2014.
$12.8 million	Coney Island: Permanent repairs to New York City Transit employee facilities and District Office 34 at Coney Island / Stillwell Terminal that were damaged by Sandy.
$12.5 million	Lower Manhattan Resiliency: Work is underway to prevent water incursion in Lower Manhattan through a specific list of ventilation grates, manholes and subway stairs. Design is underway to develop solutions for other additional openings, including fan plants. Additional funds will be requested in subsequent grants. More information: here.
$7.3 million	Security: Restoration/replacement of security equipment in under-river subway tunnels.

 

 

MTA Long Island Rail Road

 

 

Amount	Project / Description
$120 million	Long Beach Branch: Projects will replace three of four substations on the branch, and permanently restore signals, power, and communications systems, system components and cabling along the right-of-way, including grade crossings and station platforms. Construction is underway to replace the emergency generator, underwater cable, and bridge electrical systems on the Wreck Lead Bridge, which spans Reynolds Channel and connects Long Beach to Island Park.
$10.2 million	West Side Yard: Project replaces signal, power and other assets in the yard, including switch machines, signal components, third rail components, switch heaters, and facilities fire alarm systems.
$6.1 million	First Avenue Substation: Design is underway to make permanent repairs to LIRR power substation at First Avenue, which provides power to tracks leading to Penn Station.
$6 million	Infrastructure and system upgrades at facilities and assets that experienced wind damage or flooding, including the Hillside Support Facility, Shea Yard, the Far Rockaway Branch, and the Westbury Station.
$3.4 million	Long Island City Yard: Electrification of Tracks 7 & 8, making Long Island City a more robust terminal if service through East River Tunnels is curtailed. Project includes restoration of Long Island City Yard power substation.

 

 

More information: http://web.mta.info/sandy/lirr.htm

 

MTA Metro-North Railroad

 

 

Amount	Project / Description
$74.8 million	Power: Project replaces damaged components, including substations, third rail components, facility houses. Design underway for substations and facility houses for Harlem River Lift Bridge.
$21.5 million	Communications and Signals: 30 miles of fiber optic cable will be replaced. Other components requiring replacement includes signal cable, switches, bond boxes, relays, snowmelters, crossing gate infrastructure. Design underway.
$7.2 million	Right-of-Way: Tree removal and shoreline restoration work.

 

 

More information: http://web.mta.info/sandy/mnr.htm

 

MTA Capital Construction

 

 

Amount	Project / Description
$21.4 million	Security Equipment: Project repairs damaged security equipment in East River tunnels. Design underway.

 

 

 

Superstorm Sandy triggered the worst transit disaster in U.S. history in October 2012. FTA plans to award $3 billion on a competitive basis for projects that protect critical transit infrastructure from being damaged or destroyed by future natural disasters.

 

The MTA has budgeted a total of $5.8 billion for Superstorm Sandy resiliency work – fortification projects that are beyond the scope of simple repairs – that will render the New York region’s transportation network more prepared and resilient in its most vulnerable areas to protect equipment and infrastructure against future storms. The MTA expects this work to be funded mostly through reimbursements from the federal government.

 

In addition, Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature have approved projects totaling $4.7 billion dollars for MTA Sandy-related repairs. The MTA is seeking federal support for the majority of its post-Sandy reconstruction efforts, and is issuing short-term notes to pay for immediate reconstruction needs as well as local match requirements, pending receipt of Federal funds. Monies from the FTA, as well as insurers and FEMA are being used to reimburse the MTA and its noteholders.

 

The MTA is seeking federal support for the majority of its post-Sandy reconstruction efforts, and is issuing short-term Bond Anticipation Notes and long-term bonds to help pay for immediate reconstruction needs as well as local match requirements.

 

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2012 provided $10.9 billion for FTA’s Emergency Relief Program for recovery, relief, and resiliency efforts in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. That total was subsequently cut by almost $545 million due to sequestration. FTA is allocating the remaining $10.4 billion in multiple tiers for response, recovery, and rebuilding; for locally prioritized resiliency projects; and for competitively selected resiliency work. FTA has made available roughly $5.7 billion to help transit systems in the affected states. To date, the MTA has been allocated $3.8 billion from the FTA, including $898 million for resiliency.

 

“This is a welcome and much-needed investment in New York’s transportation infrastructure that will ensure Metro-North is better prepared for future storms,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey. “Federal aid has been essential in not only helping communities, businesses, and homeowners recover and rebuild, but in ensuring that our region is better prepared to withstand the impact of future disasters.”