Spitzer: NYC Transit Projects 'Must Get Done'

NEW YORK CITY-Manhattan’s projected population growth of more than one million by 2020 hinges on completion of each of the large-scale transportation and mixed-use projects now under way, Gov. Eliot Spitzer told the New York Building Congress Thursday. The keynote speaker at NYBC’s annual meeting, Spitzer cited initiatives ranging from the long-awaited Second Avenue Subway and Moynihan Station to development at Hudson Yards and completion of the World Trade Center. “All of these projects must be built,” he said. “We want growth, and it will only happen if every one of these projects gets done.”

However, Spitzer acknowledged that coming up with the money for these projects is a challenge–a point that was underlined by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s announcement on Tuesday that its forthcoming Fulton Street transit hub might have to be scaled back. “We’re struggling” to fund transportation and infrastructure upgrades, Spitzer said, which is why he pushes for the creation of revenue streams that can finance big capital projects and lead to the expansion “that everyone is depending on.”

For example, Spitzer said he supported the fare and toll increases that the MTA board approved last month, although he knew he would take flak for doing so. He reaffirmed his support for the congestion-pricing plan proposed by the Bloomberg administration. “Congestion pricing is critical to the future of New York City. Without it, we will not have a city that is viable.”