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Testimony Of
State Senator Liz Krueger Before The
Metropolitan Transit Authority Regarding Federal Financial
Assistance
June 5, 2002 My name is Liz Krueger and I represent the 26th
Senate District on the East Side of Manhattan. I am here to support the MTA’s
request for $20 million in Federal Financial Assistance for the preliminary
engineering of the Second Avenue Subway. The Second Avenue Subway is the most critical
mass transit project needed to ensure New York City’s economic growth. The
East Side of Manhattan is not only one of the most densely populated areas in
the country with over 200,000 residents per square mile, it also has the most
densely used office space in the country. As the only subway serving the East
Side, the Lexington Avenue line is dangerously overcrowded, carrying 600,000
people each day. The Second Avenue Subway would alleviate these severe
conditions, while reducing overly long travel times and improving transit
accessibility to residents of the far east side of my district. In addition,
the MTA has concluded that this project would also result in reduced crowding
and improved reliability on the M-15 bus, and provide support for the
economic well-being of Lower Manhattan by providing new transit access to the
region. Total capital costs for the Second Avenue Subway
are estimated at about $16.8 billion, and significant federal contributions
will be required to meet this budget. I certainly understand the significant
competition for scarce federal funds from around the city. However, I can
assure you that few can match the immense benefits that a Second Avenue
Subway will provide to many tens of thousands of area residents. I hope the
MTA continues to treat the Second Avenue Subway as a funding priority in the
future, and that we can keep to the existing schedule and begin initial
construction by the end of 2004. I appreciate the MTA’s important work, and
look forward to working with the MTA to ensure funding for a Second Avenue
Subway. |
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