Infrastructure Stimulus Projects for NYCT?

If an infrastructure stimulus is passed, what would your priorities be?

1. Full length Second Avenue Subway including a cross-town 125th St. line, and connections to the Bronx (Concourse Line) and Brooklyn.
2. Astoria extension to LaGuardia
3. Rockaway Beach branch reactivation
4. Extension of either the 5 or 6 to Co-Op City
5. Utica Avenue extension

I wouldn't get my hopes up. While it's a fun game to play, this isn't seem like the type of recession from which a construction based stimulus is going to be the answer. Most construction work is ongoing - that isn't who is out of jobs. Stimulus this time is being directed towards small business, people put out of work by the shutdown and increasing demand.

• Build the proposed 10 Avenue station on the 7 extension

• Extend the BMT from Brooklyn to Staten Island

Both make sense.

It might help for NYCTA to mount a pair of Orchard Sprayers on a flat to spray disinfectant thru out the system,
to wipeout the virus,as things start to return to normal
Make 4 sets of this Work train,2 sets for the A division(IRT side),2 sets for the B division(BMT,IND side)

I would expect any stimulus to be used to finish phase II of the 2nd ave subway, and to upgrade present subway stations and rolling stock. I would highly doubt that any "new" projects, let alone the completion of the entire 2nd Ave subway all the way to downtown would ever be part of the package. Although that Brooklyn to Staten Island connection will always be that big white elephant in the room. that's just too forward thinking.

Given NYC's cost issues and the meh-to-bad quality of most shovel ready subway projects (SAS Phases 3/4 don't add any capacity to the system, RBB has a high cost/rider, etc), I'd focus on targeted capacity improvements. Adding switches at Rogers would allow route simplification through there, which would give the 2/3/4/5 a 13tph capacity bump. Circulation improvements at high dwell stations would allow more trains through the core at rush. Expanding yards would permit higher service levels and, potentially, better distributed work train ops. These projects can all be done for relatively little money but would allow much better use of existing infrastructure (which, by and large, is nowhere near capacity).

Everyone:

Before we get into expanding and further improving the NYCT Subway system let's
deal with the current ridership and funding problems as they are RIGHT NOW.

If these two issues are not dealt with the survival of the NYCT Subway system
could well be at stake...

Mass transportation is NOT designed for "Social Distancing". With the current pandemic
there may be a substantial percentage of riders that may never return to the transit
system once normalcy (or something along those lines) returns to New York City.

We can be optimistic for the future but - first things first...
MACTRAXX

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but if Federal infrastructure funds are made available to NYS, you know the priority will be the Gateway/Portal projects.

Beyond that, NYC needs to be upgrading their public hospitals, not the subway. NYCH+H has been underfunded worse than the NYCTA and haven't had the funds to expand. Arguably, that's a better use of infrastructure funds with a look to the future.

Come on guys get in the spirit! Of course, you're both right but it's nice during this time of shelter-in-place to have a little fun!

I would say the most important project for the MTA in this region would be LIRR or A train service along the former Rockaway Beach Branch. It would be a great connector between the LIRR main line and the A train and to JFK (not counting the airtrain at Jamaica station.)
Also, this is not proposed but possibly extending the B train to Manhattan Beach and restoration of a Third Avenue elevated in the Bronx (formerly known as the 8 train), or maybe even in Manhattan (not likely but it's worth mentioning). Or at least a streetcar line along third ave in Manhattan or ANY streetcar service in NYC whatsoever.

Not sure about Third Avenue; in the 70's a replacement was planned as part of the Second Avenue Subway. I've seen opinions on it previously about how busy those buses are, but you've also got MNRR and the Concourse line. And I'd think it would be very hard indeed to build an "el" these days; they were long considered nuisances, especially the part of the Third Avenue in Manhattan. These days, the only way you'll build an elevated is in the median of a highway. Certainly residents, while they would want the transit, would not want the relevant structure.

I remember the Third Avenue in the Bronx, as my grandmother would use it to take me to the Bronx Zoo, transferring at Gun Hill after coming down from 225th St. It had quite a few impressive architectural features but was doomed as it was pretty ancient.