The full board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday approved an additional $66 million to accelerate construction of the long-delayed Second Avenue subway line.
Officials hope to open the first phase line – pegged as an alternative to the crowded Lexington Avenue corridor on Manhattan's East Side – in December.
The board's transit and bus committee approved four new contracts on Monday. No debate on Wednesday accompanied full board approval.
David Cannon, MTA senior director and chief procurement officer, said Monday the cost of the contract adjustments would be $66 million "if all milestones are met."
Michael Horodniceanu, president of the authority's capital construction unit, said the expense would reduce the MTA's contingency for the project, originally about $4.4 billion, to roughly $50 million.
"You have no problem with that, it's sufficient?" board member Andrew Albert asked.
"It appears that it is sufficient, yes," said Horodniceanu.
Construction on the $4.5 billion line began in 2007.
Independent engineer Ken Haggas said that despite the accelerated construction goals, the project still holds "a moderate risk" regarding December completion. "The top schedule risk – continuing design and scope changes during construction -- has not been mitigated," he said.
The MTA, one of the largest municipal issuers with about $36 billion in debt, also wants to restore W service in Queens and Manhattan to allow the Q line to begin serving the Second Avenue line between 63rd and 96 streets. The new line, which will run under Second Avenue, will serve new stations at 96th, 86th and 72nd streets, then curve west and connect to F service at 63rd Street-Lexington Avenue and Broadway line express tracks at 57th Street-Seventh Avenue.
Restoring the W line and tweaking N and Q service will cost $13.7 million annually, which the MTA baked into the approved budget of its New York City Transit division.
Cuts in the MTA's capital program for 2015 to 2019 has delayed work on the second phase of the project, north to 125th Street in East Harlem.
