August 11, 2009

Here's some news --

Yesterday the MTA released their 235 page Draft Proposed 2010-2014 Capital Program - and there's no money in it for any further funding of the Second Avenue Subway, past Phase I.

The program does anticipate allocating $1.487 million to complete
Phase I [extending the Q line from 63rd street to 96th Street], as detailed in this excerpt from the 2010-2014 plan shown below:


(left-click on the image for view that is easier to read.)

The MTA's Twenty Year Needs Assessment for 2010-2029, which was also released on the same day, included this brief remark, after the section that explains the benefits of Phase I:

[Second Avenue Subway] "Phases II – IV will generate similar benefits and must be advanced in future Capital Programs"

So what does this all mean? Simply put, for now the MTA appears to only be focused on finishing Phase I, and that's it. Any work on Phase II [the extension of service from 96th to 125th Street] has been put off until 2015, at the earliest.

If you wish to read more about this, I recommend Benjamin Kabak's recent posting on his blog:
"SAS future hazy in proposed capital program"
2nd Ave. Sagas - 8/14/09

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In other news...

A friendly shop owner down in the 80s gave me a copy of a letter (shown below) that one of the MTA's contractors sent to her in late July.

In the letter the contractor, J. D'Annunzio & Sons, Inc., says that they anticipate starting work to relocate utilities between 82nd and 87th Streets on or about September 8, 2009.

They go on to explain that they wish to conduct a physical inspection of the building so that they can document the condition of the building prior to the start of the construction.

And finally they explain, in some detail, how they intend to monitor the buildings in the area during the estimated nineteen (19) month construction period.

So here's a scanned copy of the 5 page letter:











(left-click on any image for view that is readable.)

- - -

And finally --

A reliable source has told me that they haven't been able to start the blasting (of the bedrock) at the southern end of the Launch Box area because they haven't been issued a blasting permit yet by the NYC Fire Department.

Word is, the permit is being held up because of the rather fragile condition of the buildings on the east side of Second Avenue, just north of 92nd Street.

So instead of blasting, for the moment they are using multiple jackhammers to break through the bedrock. This process, I'm told is much slower than the planned blasting method.

Also, so I'm told, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) won't be going down in the hole [now] until December.

So that's it for the moment. I hope to have a new set of pictures in a week or so. It's been a busy summer.

Ben


Here's a listing of the recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

"Geyser on Second"
Life on Second - 7/14/09
drawings and commentary by the artist Dominick Santise

"Second Avenue Subway delay to impact real estate in the short-term"
The Real Deal - 7/22/09