Nagaraja Outlines Ambitious Timeline for MTA Expan sion

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MTA Capital Construction Company President Mysore Nagaraja provided a standing-room only crowd of building industry executives with a detailed timeline for the implementation of a series of ambitious expansion projects for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) mass transit system.His remarks were delivered during a Construction Industry Forum co-sponsored by the New York Building Congress and New York Construction.

At present, the MTA is moving forward with: East Side Access that will bring Long Island Rail Road trains to Grand Central Terminal; the Second Avenue Subway; westward extension of the No. 7 subway line; construction of a new Fulton Street Transit Center; and an overhaul of the South Ferry subway terminal.

“We want to leave something for the next generation. This is why these projects are so important for New York City and the region,” said Nagaraja, adding, “All (the expansion projects) are connected. One will not work without the other.”

Nagaraja said that while the East Side Access project is still in the final design stages, five initial construction contracts, worth $176 million have already been awarded. The MTA hopes to complete the entire project by 2011, although Nagaraja did caution that its timely completion will depend in part on funding that currently is expected from the federal government, which the MTA is aggressively pursuing.

Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson and MTA Capital Construction Company President Mysore Nagaraja at October Construction Industry Forum.

The current MTA budget allocates $1.05 billion for design and some construction on the Second Avenue Subway, which is expected to run from 125th Street to the Wall Street area. As now envisioned, it would be an 8.5 mile, two-track line with 16 stations. The MTA is currently working on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement with the hope that construction could begin in phases starting in late 2004 or early 2005.

Nagaraja called the extension of the No. 7 line to Manhattan’s West Side, “very doable. It can get done by 2009 or 2010.” If successful, the line, which would include stations at 10th Avenue/41st Street and at Javits Center, would be operational in time for the 2012 Olympics, should New York City be selected as the host city. New York City is the project’s sponsor, and the expectation is that all funding for the estimated $2 billion expansion would come from the City.

Looking toward Lower Manhattan, Nagaraja pledged the swift construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center, which is viewed as the linchpin for the full restoration and improvement of mass transit access to the area. “I made a commitment that we are going to complete this project by the end of 2007.” Of the start of construction, not slated until the summer of 2004, Nagaraja said, “That's going to happen. I promise you.”

The Fulton Street Center will include: more surface access, including a high visibility entrance at Fulton and Broadway; a pedestrian concourse under Dey Street; new and expanded station mezzanines and passageways; links to Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and Jamaica Station; and a more rational system for transferring among the six existing Downtown subway stations, which were built by different private companies between 1905 and 1933.

Also moving forward, in conjunction with the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan, is the South Ferry Terminal project. The station, which, like the Fulton Street Center, is 100 percent federally financed, is envisioned as a two-track line next to Battery Park and directly adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The $400 million project is in design now and will greatly increase passenger comfort, improve efficiency of the 1/9 and 2/3 lines, and connect directly to the N/R line.

“The members of the Building Congress applaud the MTA for its aggressive pursuit of needed transit system expansion and for creating the MTA Capital Construction Company to oversee and coordinate this effort,” said Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson. “Moving these multi-billion dollar projects forward is a real challenge, but the building community is confident that Mysore Nagaraja is the ideal person to get the job done on time and within budget.”