MTA's $7B 2nd Avenue gift to the government | Red Hot Takes - video Dailymotion

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00:00Why on earth is the New York City MTA moving forward with plans to expand the 2nd Avenue

00:06subway when it can't maintain the system it already has?

00:11On Monday, the MTA board approved a $1.9 billion contract as part of phase two of the 2nd Avenue

00:18subway expansion.

00:20The vote means tunneling and construction for three new queue line stations in Harlem

00:24can start next year.

00:26Governor Kathy Hochul was pointedly present at the board vote.

00:30She's likely hoping that a flashy project can boost her abysmal polling numbers and help

00:34her keep her job in 2026.

00:37That might backfire when writers start to ask why that money isn't going toward making the

00:42already existing system run better.

00:44The governor and MTA brass are bragging that they've cut costs for phase two so it will

00:50only run a cool $7 billion total or roughly $233 million per block to extend the line from

00:5796th Street to 125th.

01:01Expect that number to balloon.

01:03Not only does the MTA have a dismal track record for keeping projects within budget, the 2nd

01:09Avenue subway expansion has been a money pit since it began.

01:13Phase one of the project was plagued by delays and cost overruns and ended up costing a jaw-dropping

01:19$2.5 billion per mile, making it the most expensive subway line in the world, according to one report.

01:26And it's not even finished.

01:28Instead of hitting pause and waiting until it actually makes sense to spend billions on new

01:33tunnels and stations, Hochul and the MTA have decided to double down.

01:37Expanding the subway to better service neighborhoods like East Harlem would be fantastic if the

01:44MTA had ample expansion money.

01:47It doesn't.

01:48In fact, the agency's leaders have been loudly announcing for years that it doesn't even

01:52have the cash to take care of the existing system.

01:56If you're a New York City subway rider, you already know that all too well.

02:00Heck, you might be watching this video on spotty cell phone service while stuck between stations

02:05because of a signal problem or equipment failure.

02:08In March, the MTA threatened another summer of hell if the city didn't cough up its ever-growing

02:14portion of the agency's ever-growing budget, with MTA Chief Financial Officer Jay Patel telling

02:21city council members, many components are falling apart or need to be replaced or preserved.

02:27No kidding!

02:28Just a few weeks ago, a power outage at West Fourth Street brought the whole system to its

02:33knees, causing long delays and leaving rush hour commuters stranded and searching for

02:38alternate routes.

02:40And that happened twice in one week.

02:43If the MTA is so strapped for cash and there is so much maintenance work to be done, why

02:47is the agency sinking more money into a cash-eating project?

02:51Is ginning up re-election fodder for Kathy Hochul really that important?

02:56Asked Monday why the agency is spending big on the Second Avenue plan when it has so much unfunded

03:01repair work, MTA CEO Jano Lieber responded, I reject the premise of the question, which

03:08is another way of saying I don't have a good answer.

03:11The next time you're stuck on a packed subway platform, waiting for the light at the end

03:17of the tunnel that's just not coming, remember this.

03:20At least Hochul got something to put in her campaign ads.

MTA's $7B 2nd Avenue gift to the government | Red Hot Takes

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