MTA To Get $200 Million In Federal Sandy Aid
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to receive nearly $200 million in federal Sandy aid to help the agency's recovery effort.
Much of the funding - $141.6 million - will go towards the MTA's New York City Transit operations that were badly damaged in the Oct. 29 storm, like the Coney Island Yard which flooded. Nearly $18 million will be used to repair and restore the heavily damaged 3.6-mile stretch of the A subway line between Howard Beach and the Rockaways section of Queens.
"The devastation in the Rockaways has forced more than 30,000 daily subway riders to find alternate means to get around, and the sooner we can restore the A train to them, the better off they will be," Cuomo said.
The Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency funding will be used to cover and reimburse storm preparation costs through Jan. 29, Cuomo announced on Wednesday.
"These federal dollars will help cover the costs of pre-storm preparations and initial recovery work that made it possible for the MTA to restore service as quickly as possible after the storm," Cuomo said. "The FTA's quick action will help rebuild our battered transit infrastructure and restore full service for the millions of commuters who rely on the MTA every day."
The Long Island Rail Road will get $20.9 million in aid, while Metro-North Railroad will receive $14.9 million.
Additionally, $3 million will go toward the MTA's bridges and tunnels. Almost all of that funding will go towards costs associated with pumping millions of gallons of water out of the Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown tunnels.
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