Latest news with #JannoLieber
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
New York's $68 Billion Plan to Revive Subway System
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Officials in New York have approved a $68.4 billion investment in the city's subway system. On Wednesday, the board of the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) approved the plan, which would refurbish Grand Central Terminal and upgrade parts of the rail system that are more than 100 years old. Newsweek contacted the MTA via email for more information on the decision. Why It Matters New York uses its sprawling transit system to move millions daily. The new plan is the largest capital investment in the MTA's history, according to the agency, but parts of the funding are yet to have a source, despite contributions from the city and the federal government. What To Know The $68.4 billion capital plan, covering 2025 to 2029, is set to fund upgrades across subways, buses, bridges and tunnels. The investment forms a significant portion of the city's public infrastructure spending, though it remains a fraction of the city's overall annual operating budget of roughly $100 billion. The plan projects $1.4 billion in annual funding from the increased payroll mobility tax, alongside a $3 billion city contribution and an anticipated 20 percent from the federal government. However, a $3 billion gap still exists in the funding, which authorities have said could be plugged by cutting costs on prior projects and selling surplus real estate. "We expect we'll accomplish work more cheaply," MTA Chair Janno Lieber said during the approval meeting, Gothamist reported. People waiting to board a train at the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station in New York on April 29. People waiting to board a train at the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station in New York on April 29. Getty Images The plan calls for the purchase of 1,500 new subway cars, upgraded signaling, the installation of modern turnstiles to prevent fare evasion and major accessibility improvements at 60 subway stations. It also allocates $2.75 billion to the Interborough Express, a new line linking Brooklyn and Queens. The MTA expects the work to span five years, subject to final approval from the Capital Program Review Board. The approval came after months of political negotiations and past funding setbacks. In December, the state Legislature initially rejected the plan because of funding ambiguities. New York has also seen ongoing legal challenges, including a lawsuit with the Trump administration over congestion pricing and subway safety, that may make securing the federal funding trickier. What People Are Saying New York Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick said in a news release on May 13: "The MTA is vital not only to New York City residents who depend on it for their daily commute, but for the entire metro area. Many New Yorkers rely on the MTA to enter the city to work, dine, and recreate. Fully funding the MTA capital plan will provide the resources that are needed to expand and modernize services, while increasing the environmental benefits gained by supporting a reliable public transit system." Jamie Torres-Springer, the head of the MTA's construction and development, said in September: "If we don't keep up with investment in state of good repair in a 100-year-old system that serves so many people, we cannot continue to provide safe and reliable service." What Happens Next The MTA awaits final approval from the Capital Program Review Board before work begins. If approved, the agency will start the upgrade cycle in 2025, with a 2029 completion goal.
Time Out
4 days ago
- Business
- Time Out
Good news, G line riders: cell service is soon to come, per MTA
If you've ever been riding the G train attempting to scroll through a frozen feed, we've got good news: The MTA just announced that cell service is coming to major portions of the G line —and it's arriving sooner than you might think. At Wednesday's MTA committee meeting, officials confirmed that the long-promised expansion of underground cell coverage is picking up steam. Riders on the northern stretch of the G, from Court Square to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, can expect 5G cell service as early as this fall. It's all part of the MTA's broader goal of bringing connectivity to the 418-mile subway system, one tunnel at a time. This latest rollout will also include the 4 and 5 lines between Bowling Green in Manhattan and Borough Hall in Brooklyn and, eventually, future coverage on the A and C lines. As for the G, the recent signal upgrades and service shutdowns weren't just annoying—they laid the groundwork for a more connected ride. And here's the kicker: all of this is being done at no cost to the public. The work is being handled by Boldyn Networks (formerly Transit Wireless), the same company responsible for outfitting all 281 underground stations with Wi-Fi and cellular service back in the 2010s. Through a public-private partnership, Boldyn is footing the $600 million infrastructure bill and will recoup its investment by keeping any revenue from the wireless network it builds. In total, the full 10-year project is expected to result in over $1 billion in benefits to the MTA and its riders. So when's the whole system going online? Technically, by 2032—but with each capital project, Boldyn is piggybacking on MTA tunnel access to install cables in tandem with other construction work. Think of it as multitasking, but for infrastructure. 'This is being done because a private company—the same company that outfitted the stations to have cell service—now is moving forward with us to put cell connectivity in the tunnels in between the stations,' MTA Chair Janno Lieber told amNewYork. Though one downside? 'Some people complain they have to listen to too many domestic arguments,' Lieber joked. Still, we'll take that over another dead zone.
Time Out
13-05-2025
- General
- Time Out
The MTA just added brand-new bike lanes to the Triborough Bridge
The Triborough Bridge is no longer just for drivers. This week, the MTA unveiled major upgrades to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (better known as the Triborough), adding accessible, cyclist-friendly paths that connect Manhattan, the Bronx and Randall's Island —no car required. Previously, the bridge's pedestrian paths were narrow, awkward and full of hairpin turns that made biking nearly impossible. Now, new ADA-compliant ramps and reconfigured access points make it safe, smooth and completely legal to bike across the span of the bridge for the first time in its 89-year history. 'For the first time ever, pedestrians and cyclists have a continuous car-free path between Manhattan, the Bronx and Randall's Island, with Queens to follow shortly,' said Jamie Torres-Springer, head of MTA construction and development. The bridge's makeover is part of a $128 million push by the MTA to make its bridges more welcoming to non-drivers. The Triborough joins the Henry Hudson and Cross Bay Bridges, which recently added or upgraded their own pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. A connection from the RFK Bridge to the East River Greenway is also in the works, pending the city's completion of adjacent renovations in East Harlem. At Monday's ribbon-cutting, MTA Chair Janno Lieber sported tight black biking shorts, celebrating the launch with a ceremonial group ride. As reported by amNY, Leiber called the new path 'a biker's paradise' and emphasized the importance of supporting 'last-mile' transit options for neighborhoods underserved by subways or rail. Cycling advocates were quick to praise the changes. 'In just a few years, we'll see Randall's Island as an amazing crossroads of practical and recreational NYC bike traffic,' said Bike New York Advocacy Director Jon Orcutt in a statement. 'It's fantastic progress.' The MTA says it's studying the feasibility of adding a bike lane to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge—but for now, New Yorkers can finally pedal between boroughs on the Triborough without breaking any laws (or a sweat).
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
New bike lanes added to Triborough Bridge
Cyclists now have a quicker and safer way to get between Manhattan and the Bronx, with the MTA announcing Monday the opening of a new set of bike paths on the Triborough Bridge. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber, clad in bicycle shorts and an MTA T-shirt, heralded the openings aside his bike on Randalls Island. 'While transit remains the go-to travel option for the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers, there's been tremendous growth in alternative micromobility options like bikes and scooters,' Lieber said. 'Far from being a threat to mass transit, the trend gives the MTA an opportunity to extend the transit system's reach deeper into communities that have less fixed rail service, or are a little further away from a train station.' MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and MTA construction boss Jamie Torres-Springer join cycling advocates and others on an inaugural ride up the new ramp. (Evan Simko-Bednarski / New York Daily News)MTA's construction and development boss, Jamie Torres-Springer — who also rode a bicycle to the event, albeit in suit pants — said the new paths were all part of the action plan launched in 2023 for the agency to expand bicycle and pedestrian access. On the Triborough, the project means new bicycle and pedestrian pathways on the Manhattan and Bronx spans of the structure. 'With this segment completed,' Torres-Springer said from the foot of a new ramp up to the Manhattan branch of the Triborough, 'for the first time ever, pedestrians and bicyclists have a continuous, car-free path between Manhattan, the Bronx and Randalls Island — with Queens to follow shortly.' A renovation of the Queens span's pedestrian path — which has stairs and officially does not allow cyclists — is due for completion in 2027. The new Tribororough bike path is also expected to link up with the Waterfront Greenway on the East Side of Manhattan. The path comes as the MTA has recently widened the narrow walking path along the Henry Hudson Bridge at Manhattan's northern tip and made it into a bikeway, as well as the addition of a bicycle-friendly ramp at the southern end of the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge in Queens.
New York Post
12-05-2025
- New York Post
NYC now has a car-free path that connects Manhattan, the Bronx and Randall's Island in win for walkers, cyclists
It's a bridge not too far at all. A new bike and pedestrian path on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge officially opened Monday, giving New Yorkers a chance to pedal or hoof it between Manhattan, the Bronx and Randall's Island. MTA bigs held a ribbon cutting and ceremonial bike ride celebrating the new path, which follows the completion of other bicycle and pedestrian routes on the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Henry Hudson bridge. Advertisement The path replaces pedestrian-only paths on the bridge's Manhattan and Bronx spans that both connect to Randall's Island. 'Pedestrians and bikers have a continuous, car free path between Manhattan, the Bronx and Randalls island, with Queens to follow shortly,' said Jamie Torres-Springer, the MTA's president of construction and development. 5 MTA bigs celebrated the opening of a new bicycle and pedestrian lane on the RFK Bridge. Matthew McDermott Advertisement 5 The path is part of a wider project to make car-free connections between Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Randall's Island. Matthew McDermott 5 MTA boss Janno Lieber led a celebratory bike ride across the bridge. Matthew McDermott 5 The path is part of a $128 million MTA investment in bicycle, pedestrian and micromobility infrastructure. Trent Reeves / MTA 5 The path replaces pedestrian-only infrastructure on the bridge's Manhattan and Bronx spans. Matthew McDermott Advertisement The car-free path into Queens is expected to be complete in 2027, officials said. When done, there'll be an uninterrupted, Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant bike-pedestrian path from Astoria to Randall's Island, the officials said. The bridge connections are part of a $128 million investment in bicycle, pedestrian and micromobility infrastructure made by the MTA. Advertisement 'Broadly speaking, we recognize that when transit remains the go-to travel option for the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers, there's been tremendous growth in alternative micromobility options like bikes and scooters, both shared and personal,' said MTA boss Janno Lieber. 'Far from being a threat to mass transit, the trend gives the MTA an opportunity to extend the transit system's reach deeper into communities that have less fixed rail service, or is little further away from a train station.'
