Comments on: Will the Second Avenue Subway be Cancelled Once Again? http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2008/10/30/will-the-second-avenue-subway-be-cancelled-once-again/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:49:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Woody http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2008/10/30/will-the-second-avenue-subway-be-cancelled-once-again/#comment-10 Woody Tue, 19 May 2009 15:23:17 +0000 http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/?p=123#comment-10 With every passing day the SAS gets closer to a point of no return, where the "sunk" costs already in the ground, so to speak, are greater than the costs of finishing the work -- or the costs of stopping! It may be closer to that point than we think. I'm holding my breath. That big hole up near 96th St. is almost ready to receive the tunnel boring machine that will start chewing through the rock heading south to 63rd St. I'm sure the contract on that costly boring machine is spent money, use it or lose it. What's left to do is to haul away the excavated rock. So I hope the SAS will go forward. I wonder if they could postpone a couple of the stations, and go with only the one at 86th St. Given that the going rate for a station, as revealed re the one proposed for 42nd and 11th Ave, is almost half a billion bucks, they seem expendable, or at least postponable. Cutting back to only one station at 86th would make that a really crowded station. But it would still give much relief to the heavily populated far eastern reaches of the Upper East Side. With every passing day the SAS gets closer to a point of no return, where the “sunk” costs already in the ground, so to speak, are greater than the costs of finishing the work — or the costs of stopping! It may be closer to that point than we think. I’m holding my breath.

That big hole up near 96th St. is almost ready to receive the tunnel boring machine that will start chewing through the rock heading south to 63rd St. I’m sure the contract on that costly boring machine is spent money, use it or lose it. What’s left to do is to haul away the excavated rock.

So I hope the SAS will go forward. I wonder if they could postpone a couple of the stations, and go with only the one at 86th St. Given that the going rate for a station, as revealed re the one proposed for 42nd and 11th Ave, is almost half a billion bucks, they seem expendable, or at least postponable.

Cutting back to only one station at 86th would make that a really crowded station. But it would still give much relief to the heavily populated far eastern reaches of the Upper East Side.

]]> By: Nathanael Nerode http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2008/10/30/will-the-second-avenue-subway-be-cancelled-once-again/#comment-9 Nathanael Nerode Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:35:54 +0000 http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/?p=123#comment-9 Cutting the SAS would be completely insane. Honestly, before they do that they should wipe out half the bus service -- starting with all buses in lower and Midtown Manhattan (you can walk crosstown and take the subway north-south). That would save a large amount in operating costs *and* in capital costs (bus replacement). It would be a radical and unfortunate measure, but would be a much better move than cancelling the SAS (which stands to eliminate massive amounts of Third and Second Avenue bus operating costs yearly, among other things). Cutting the SAS would be completely insane.

Honestly, before they do that they should wipe out half the bus service — starting with all buses in lower and Midtown Manhattan (you can walk crosstown and take the subway north-south). That would save a large amount in operating costs *and* in capital costs (bus replacement). It would be a radical and unfortunate measure, but would be a much better move than cancelling the SAS (which stands to eliminate massive amounts of Third and Second Avenue bus operating costs yearly, among other things).

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