Agreement on a five-year, $29 billion capital program for New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority was the
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and MTA officials worked out a funding agreement on the five-year program, which still needs approval from a state panel in Albany. The panel, which consists of top state officials, rejected an earlier submittal because of a $14 billion gap at the time.
The agreement includes $8.3 billion from New York State subject to legislative approval, and $2.5 billion from New York City – quintuple the city's original commitment. "This trillion-dollar asset is key to New York City's economy and quality of life," said Straphangers Campaign attorney and chief spokesman Gene Russianoff.
Nearly $3 billion of the capital program is self-funded through bridge and toll revenue.
Russianoff also praised the MTA for hiring Veronique "Ronnie" Hakim as the first woman president of New York City Transit, which operates the city's buses and subways. Hakim began on Dec. 28 after an 18-month tenure as NJ Transit president. Previously, she spent 23 years with the MTA.
The group's "worst" list includes overcrowding, rising fares and the MTA's proposal to ban all ads deemed political from buses, trains and stations.
