By Michael V. Cusenza
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday announced it will host the second in a series of Open Houses on the 2025–2029 Capital Plan. This Open House will take place at the Queens Public Library in Jamaica, located at 89-11 Merrick Blvd., from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
The Open House will feature an exhibition of informational posters, pamphlets, and videos explaining key elements of the Capital Plan, and agency representatives will be on hand to answer questions. Information will also be available on career opportunities at the MTA, business opportunities for Minority-, Women-, Disadvantaged-, and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned firms, and fare discount programs.
“We can’t wait to tell Queens residents all about the investments our new Capital Plan will make in their transit system,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “From signal modernization on the Broadway line, to advancing the Interborough Express, and more, we’ll use this Open House to share our progress in delivering projects better, faster, and cheaper than ever.”
According to the MTA, the Capital Plan is a historic $68.4 billion investment in the region’s subways, buses, railroads, bridges, and tunnels over the next five years. It includes targeted investments to rebuild, improve, and expand the MTA system. It will put the system on a path to a state of good repair, including investments in railcars, power, pump rooms, maintenance facilities, and signals, officials said.
Among the highlights of the plan is the allocution of $2.75 billion for the Interborough Express. The IBX would transform a lightly used freight railway into a light-rail line serving almost 1 million nearby residents and connecting 17 subway lines, more than 50 bus routes and Long Island Rail Road. The IBX line would provide fast transit service for dozens of communities from Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights and neighborhoods in between, while preserving the existing freight service along the corridor. IBX will significantly cut travel times between Brooklyn and Queens destination – by 30 percent between Bushwick and Brooklyn Army Terminal, for example, or 35 percent between Flushing and Brooklyn College. MTA officials have said the IBX will “dramatically increase” transit options in historically underserved lowincome communities – including communities farther away from the subway and LIRR system like East Flatbush and Maspeth – and give them better access to jobs, school and other opportunities.
The authority noted that it has already advanced conceptual engineering studies to reduce the project’s cost – for example, minimizing bridge reconstruction and reducing the size of stations. Further value engineering will be pursued during the upcoming project design phase.
“I talk a lot about MTA’s importance to the region, but it’s no exaggeration. For New Yorkers, transit is like air and water – we need it to survive. And as anyone who was around in the 1980s can tell you, better transit is one of the best ways to improve quality of life and economic opportunity in this region,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber. “The future rides with us.”