Maloney Urges MTA to Clear Up Dust, Noxious Odors at 2nd Ave. Subway Construction Site

New York, NY – Alarmed by recent reports of noxious odors and dust plumes emanating from the Second Avenue Subway construction site near East 69th Street and Second Avenue, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) today urged the MTA to redouble the agency’s efforts to mitigate quality-of-life concerns related to the subway project.  In a letter to MTA Chairman Jay Walder (a copy of which follows), Maloney also urged the MTA to test the air at the construction site to confirm that it is safe.  Joining Maloney at a press conference today to express their concerns were area residents and Manhattan Community Board 8 members Dan Quart, Barry Schneider, Jonathan Horn, Jim Clynes, and Patrick Stewart, along with other community members.

Maloney also congratulated the MTA on the announcement yesterday of $197
million in federal funding for the Second Avenue Subway and $215
million for the East Side Access project, which will link the LIRR to
Grand Central Terminal.  The funding will be coming to the MTA as part
of the Full Funding Grant Agreements governing both projects – but this
year’s funding levels were in doubt due to budget cuts in Washington. 
Fortunately, both projects received their full funding installments for
this year.

In May, Maloney called on Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff to
preserve the funding originally proposed for these two “New Starts”
projects -the largest in the nation- calling them “vital to the New York
City region's $1.26 trillion economy, the second-largest regional
economy in the world.”  A copy of Maloney’s letter to Rogoff is also
attached. 

“The Second Avenue Subway will one day benefit all New Yorkers, but
right now the construction of the new line is putting a heavy burden on
merchants and residents near Second Avenue.  The MTA must redouble its
efforts to minimize dust and foul odors emanating from the construction
site – and take steps to assure the public that the air is safe to
breathe.  Chairman Walder takes quality-of-life concerns seriously and I
know that those who live and work near Second Avenue would be grateful
for his attention to these important concerns,” Maloney said.

“In more positive news, however, the Second Avenue Subway and East Side
Access projects will be receiving huge new infusions of federal
funding,” Maloney added.  “The Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access
are among the only such projects in the country that did not get hit by
the budget axe this year – and that’s a testament to the hard work of
Chairman Walder and the New York Congressional delegation.  Thanks to
these huge new federal grants, both the Second Avenue Subway and East
Side Access will remain on track to completion.”

"The MTA's building of a new subway line is a major challenge, which in
the end will have a tremendously positive impact on the Upper East Side,
and mass transit throughout New York City.  But during construction, we
must ensure that the MTA is doing all it can to mitigate disruptions to
people's lives.  There must be limits to what we ask the people living
and working along the construction route to put up with, and standards
for basic air quality and safety must be established and adhered to,”
said Senator Liz Krueger.

“The dust storms created by the subway construction make Second Avenue
seem like the badlands of Texas,” said Assembly Member Micah Kellner.
“This isn’t a matter to be taken lightly; asthma and allergies are at
their peak during the summer months.  This dust is only adding to those
health concerns.  We need to hold the MTA accountable so that East
Siders have breathable air.” 

"The Second Avenue Subway will be a boon to the East Side when it opens,
but it can't be a source of worry in the meantime," said Council Member
Dan Garodnick.  "East Siders have put up with many inconveniences and
disruptions from this project -- but when it raises questions of air
quality and health, we need answers -- and action."

“It is completely unacceptable that people on Second Avenue are forced
to live under conditions of constant dust and debris.  I join with
Congresswomen Maloney in demanding that the MTA take the necessary
measures to remedy these problems,” said Dan Quart, former Community
Board 8 Transportation Committee Co-Chair.

###

June 25, 2011

Jay H. Walder
Chairman and CEO
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
347 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Re:       Dust/Odors from Second Ave. Subway Construction

Dear Chairman Walder:

On behalf of my constituents living near the intersections of East 69th
and East 70th Streets and Second Avenue, I write to express my concerns
regarding dust plumes and noxious odors reportedly emanating from the
nearby construction of the Second Avenue Subway.  As described in
yesterday’s New York Post (article attached), area residents state that
drilling related to subway construction has exposed them to an
unpleasant “burnt-iron” smell and dust clouds on a near-constant basis.

I thank you for your commitment to the Second Avenue Subway; I know that
we are in agreement that this project will pay huge dividends to New
York, both in terms of jobs created during construction and in the boost
in economic competitiveness our city will realize once the subway is up
and running.  However, the many residents and businesses along Second
Avenue are bearing a heavy burden as we build this vital and
long-overdue expansion of our subway system.  Mitigating quality-of-life
concerns, such as those outlined in the Post article, must be a top
priority as the MTA moves forward with this construction project.

Accordingly, I urge you to conduct -or, if you are already conducting,
redouble- air-quality testing in and around the construction zone along
Second Avenue and East 69th and 70th Streets to make sure that the
construction is not exposing area residents to environmental hazards. 
In addition, I hope you will explore the feasibility of periodically
spraying the construction area to suppress the dust or taking other
measures to minimize the impact of construction dust and odors on the
neighborhood.  I thank you for your attention to these important
concerns.

                                                                        CAROLYN B. MALONEY
                                                                        Member of Congress

###

May 5, 2011

Mr. Peter Rogoff
Administrator
Federal Transit Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Administrator Rogoff:

The recently passed Continuing Resolution (P.L. 112-10) rescinds $280
million in FY2010 from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New
Starts program.  The Continuing Resolution does not specifically list
the particular projects in the New Starts program that should lose money
as a result, instead giving the FTA the authority to determine which
projects to reduce.  I strongly urge you preserve the funding originally
proposed for the two largest New Starts projects in the country - the
Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access.  Together these projects will
move more people than the other New Start projects combined.  They are
vital to the New York City region's $1.26 trillion economy, the
second-largest regional economy in the world.

The Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access will provide significant
improvements to the nation’s most heavily-used transit network,
providing relief to systems that are already significantly over
capacity.  Residents of New York City and the surrounding counties use
mass transit more than any other region of the country, and yet there
has been little expansion of our transportation infrastructure over the
last half century. 

The Second Avenue Subway has been proposed and delayed since the 1920s,
sacrificed to successive fiscal crises.  Indeed, New York City’s transit
system actually lost capacity when two elevated subway lines were torn
down during the 1940s and 1950s in expectation that the new subway would
be built.  Sections of the tunnel for the subway were dug during the
1970s, but abandoned during New York’s fiscal crisis.  Now that the
project has been resurrected, New Yorkers have had reason to believe
that the subway would actually be completed.  Since the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA) broke ground on the subway in 2007, one
full tunnel and a significant portion of the second tunnel have been
constructed, and a significant amount of work has been done on the
station entrances and ancillary facilities.  There has been a heavy
price to pay for this good work, with many local retailers reporting
that construction has cost them 25% or more of their expected business. 
Reducing funding will force the MTA to stretch out the construction
schedule, increasing pressure on these vulnerable small businesses.

Similarly, the MTA has made substantial progress on East Side Access,
with a significant number of tasks completed and tunnels being dug under
Manhattan’s streets.  East Side Access was originally proposed during
the late 1960s, and a tunnel was built to accommodate it under the East
River.  That tunnel, built largely with federal funds, was long derided
as the tunnel to nowhere.  It was completely unused until the MTA
completed the 63rd Street Tunnel Connector project in 2001, allowing it
to bring trains through the upper level.  East Side Access will make use
of the lower level of the tunnel, which has never been used.  When
completed, the project will shave considerable time off daily travel
time for residents of the region of the country with the longest
commuting times.  It will also expand capacity on the Long Island
Railroad for the first time in decades and will create a new LIRR stop
in New York City’s fourth-largest central business district in Long
Island City.  With more of New York City’s jobs centered in Manhattan
and New York’s bridges, tunnels, roads and railroads at or over
capacity, our ability to grow is limited without the construction of new
train lines.  Completion of East Side Access is crucial for our area.

As you know, the FTA and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
have worked closely to keep these projects on schedule and on budget.  A
sudden reduction in federal funding could impede progress on these
critical projects.  These projects were delayed in past decades because
of economic downturns.  Please do not allow the current fiscal crisis to
derail Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access.  Accordingly, I urge
you to maintain the originally agreed schedule for funding these two
critical projects.

Thank you for your kind attention to these concerns, consistent with all applicable rules and regulations.