Rep. Maloney: Second Avenue Subway Project Must Be Completed On Time

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) on Monday gave the overall progress on the Second Avenue Subway project a B-plus grade.

As 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported, it was Maloney's fourth report card on the project. Her grade is up from a B.

Maloney said at a news conference Monday that she was happy that the muck houses at Second Avenue and 72nd Street have been dismantled. She also noted that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has completed much of the major work on the project.

"They have completed the boring of the tunnel, which is one of the most difficult things to deal with is to build this tunnel. They have completed that," Maloney said. "And the muck houses which gathered the debris from the tunnel – this muck houses is closing down. Hooray! Hurrah!"

Maloney said the project remains on time and has all the funding it needs, with $16.8 million now appropriated in the federal budget.

The project is now set for completion in 2016 – a date pushed back from 2014. Maloney said the time has come to stop pushing back completion of the project.

"When they started, they were projecting that it would be completed in 2014, and they pushed it back. We're here to say you can't push it back anymore. This has to be completed by 2016," she said. "For the past four years, they have kept to the deadline of completing this by December 2016."

Maloney also noted that no plans are in place for merchants and residents along Second Avenue to receive compensation for the project, as a bill in the New York State Legislature for some kind of abatement did not pass.

The Second Avenue Subway will carry more than 200,000 residents and commuters each day once it is completed.

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