Penn Station Tunnel Upgrades

The NYT ran a nice article on the status of the tunnel improvements of the existing North and East River Tunnels. Still a long, long way to go.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/02/nyreg ... nnels.html

Representative Peter T. King has offered a similar bill in the House. Since Sept. 11, this becomes a homeland security issue," said Mr. King, who toured the tunnels recently. "After Madrid, it's even more so."

But it is unclear whether the bills will pass, officials said. Some in Congress view the money as pork-barrel spending for New York.

Yeah, there you go. Pork barrel spending to protect a few hundred thousand daily commuters. But no problem spending 1.7 billion on highways through the coal fields of Tennessee, Kentucy and West Virginia that nobody uses and which create no jobs.

No respect for NY. Again.

"But it is unclear whether the bills will pass, officials said. Some in Congress view the money as pork-barrel spending for New York. "

Sheesh. To certain Congressmen/women its always "pork-barrell spending" when the funds are not going to their district.

Sometimes, I don't blame non-NYers for being suspicious. NY is its own worst enemy. After September 11th, it demanded and received billions for recovery projects that had nothing to do with recovering from September 11th (Fulton Street transportation center, South Ferry subway station, stuff in Albany).

Indeed they did. The money they got could have actually bought a new "union station" downtown that could have linked all of the Hoboken Division with the LIRR's Atlantic Avenue Branch, and even built the HBLRT into Manhattan. Amazing, eh...? ARC without the midtown link...