$306B infrastructure plan for New York announced
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a $306 billion spending plan as part of his 2021 infrastructure agenda. In what Cuomo called “the largest, most ambitious plan put forward by any state in the nation,” the initiative will focus on a $51 billion transit-oriented redevelopment of Manhattan’s Midtown West area and the continued modernization of New York airports and transportation. It also earmarked billions for upstate New York transportation projects that will spur economic growth.
The Midtown West projects — which Cuomo said would create 196,000 jobs — include an extension of the High Line linear park to the new $1.6 billion Moynihan Train Hall; replacement of the Port Authority Bus Terminal; a $15 billion expansion and renovation of Penn Station; 20 million square feet of retail; 1,400 new affordable housing units; a new waterfront park; and a continuation of the $1.5 billion expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Center.
Transportation projects included in the package are:
- Further investment in the new $8 billion LaGuardia Airport, where the state will build a $2 billion AirTrain pending federal approval.
- The $13 billion John F. Kennedy International Airport redevelopment.
- A $100 million renovation of upstate airports.
- Further work on the Second Avenue Subway extension.
- A continuation of the $2.6 billion expansion of the Long Island Railroad.
- Other highway and bridge projects in the upstate region.
Cuomo’s announcement won praise from the heads of organizations like the New York Building Congress and the Building Trade Employers Association.