New York City Transit Undergoes Major Construction

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Capital Construction Co. is currently planning a handful of multi-billion dollar projects that will expand the nation's largest regional transportation network. These projects will carry an estimated cost of $20 billion over the next two decades and cover everything from subway stations to ferry terminals. The East Side Access (ESA) project is the largest construction project the MTA has ever taken on and is projected to cost $6.3 billion. It will bring Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) commuters into a new LIRR Terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal (GCT) in Manhattan. This project will entail two underground station caverns that are mined out of solid rock beneath GCT and measure 85.5 feet tall, 58.5 feet wide, and 1,142 feet long; 50,000 feet of new track in underground tunnels; and 18,500 tons of reinforced steel. Some projects in the planning stages include the $400 million South Ferry Terminal, which will replace the existing two-track terminal with a three-track station and eliminate end-of-the-line bottlenecks, and the $16 billion Second Ave. Subway, which will reduce overcrowding and delays on the Lexington Ave. line and improve mass transit for residents on the far east side of Manhattan.