Elected officials announced deals on funding of a new international terminal at Kennedy Airport and improvements to commuter train service.

Give any friend a story

As a subscriber, you have 10 gifts to send every month. Anyone can read what you share.

Now that Congress has approved a substantial increase in infrastructure spending, three large transportation projects in New York City with an estimated total cost of nearly $14 billion are back on track.

Elected officials announced Monday that they have reached an agreement to complete the overhaul of JFK International Airport and improve commuter train service by adding stations and repairing the tunnel under the East River.

These projects have been planned for many years, but have stalled due to the pandemic and issues of financing. The $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last month provided funding to help solve the problems that hindered these projects.

In a deal facilitated by the Democratic majority leader and New York State Senator Chuck Schumer, Amtrak agreed to use $500 million in new federal funds to help pay for a $2.87 billion project that will The Northern Metropolitan Railway is connected to Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. The project is owned by Amtrak.

Metro-North serves the suburbs north of New York City and currently takes passengers into Manhattan's Grand Central Station. Servicing the two main train stations in Manhattan will make it easier for many suburban commuters to reach their offices.

According to the proposed project, Metro-North trains bound for Penn Station will also stop at four new stations in the Bronx, called Penn Station Access, to provide a faster alternative to Manhattan's business district than subways or buses.

In turn, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the Metro-North and Long Island Railroad, agreed to spend US$432 million on a US$1.3 billion project to repair the East River Railway Tunnel. These tunnels are owned and operated by Amtrak, but are also used by LIRR, and were damaged by flooding when Hurricane Sandy swept the city nine years ago.

"The East River Tunnel is the most important part of the commute of hundreds of thousands of Long Island residents. A problem in a tunnel-as we have seen in the past-has caused a nightmare domino effect on the entire LIRR system. This is What is unacceptable will now be resolved," Mr. Schumer said.

Thomas K. Wright, chairman of the Urban Policy Organization Regional Planning Association, stated that the agreement between Amtrak and the transportation authority reflects the “hope that as much as possible before the number of passengers completely rebounds from the decline caused by the pandemic. Take action". "The sooner you finish, the better," he said.

Mr. Wright called Penn Access a "great project that will change the rules of the game when it is completed." "This is not about laying new tracks. It is about using existing infrastructure and giving it new uses."

As many commuters continue to work remotely, Metro-North and LIRR and New Jersey Transit, the region's third-largest commuter rail, are still far below pre-pandemic levels.

In another announcement, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had reached a revised agreement on the construction of a $9.5 billion international terminal at JFK Airport. In this transaction, a consortium of private companies will pay for the 2.4 million square feet of construction, while the port authority that operates the airport will pay for roads, substations and other infrastructure.

Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority, said that the board of directors of the Port Authority will consider all elements of the transaction when it meets on Thursday.

Last summer, after a state attorney general’s report found that he had sexually harassed multiple women, including current and former aides, Ms. Hochel’s predecessor Andrew M. Cuomo took the airport before resigning. Overhaul is a major infrastructure priority. But Ms. Hochle, a Democrat, made this request at a press conference on Monday.

She said that when she took office, she asked for a "list of items that had been discussed for many years but were suppressed or delayed or deviated for any reason."

She said that the airport terminal is “really bold” and will “issue a statement saying that the current government has no boundaries in terms of dreams, big dreams, and ambitious capabilities, but we have also experienced this unique moment in history to have funds. The ability of the source can satisfy ambitions."

Mr. Cotton said that the drastic reduction in air travel and its impact on the authorities’ finances caused the long-term delay of the project, which is now planned to be completed in phases within nine years. He said that these terms have been revised to add 10 years to the lease of the terminal, which will last until 2060.

He said: "It took two years for the deal to be restored to its original state."

Mr. Cotton said that in the process, the agency received sufficient federal assistance for its aviation sector to enable it to commit to necessary infrastructure improvements to the airport. He described some of the aid as "a large sum of money that has been distributed to all airports in the country."

As for other items in the Port Authority’s long-term expenditure plan, such as the proposed replacement of the main bus terminal in Midtown Manhattan, Mr. Cotton said that the list will be re-evaluated on a "project-by-project basis." "

Mr. Wright praised Ms. Hochell for advancing the airport terminal project, even though this is a page in Mr. Cuomo’s script.

Mr. Wright said that the details of the plan may not be too different, "but the style has changed a lot."

"What she showed was her ability to gather and unite partners," he said. "She let them all see their common interests. This is really important."