Commuter Headache: Major Renovations Continue at E. 180th Street Station

Construction at the E. 180th Street-White Plains Road subway station will be
 finished this winter, according to the MTA. (Photo by Fausto Giovanny Pinto)

Editor's Note: this article was originally published in the July issue of the Tremont Tribune, out now.

By JEANMARIE EVELLY and FAUSTO GIOVANNY PINTO

The subway station at East 180th Street and White Plains Road, which serves the No. 2 and 5 trains, is undergoing “total rehabilitation” by the Metropolitan Transit Authority—a two-year project that has turned the site into a construction zone, to the distress of straphangers.

“We’re exposed to this asbestos and dust when we walk through here every day—you can smell it,” said rider Susie Martinez. “Then on the platform you have to walk on this little catwalk because there's only one stairway. It’s dangerous.”

The renovations, which started in 2009 and should wrap up this winter, are part of a $40 million project to repair the dilapidated station and make it fully wheelchair accessible. Construction has been aggravated over the past few months by an influx of extra passengers forced to stop at the station because of suspended No. 2 and 5 train service between East 149th Street-Grand Concourse and East 180th Street.

Bronx BP Diaz Offers Up Alternative to 'Unacceptable' Taxi Hailing Situation

Acting as a mediator between the city and an irate livery cab industry, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. attempted today to provide some middle ground for negotiations on a plan to bring legal street hails to New York City's outer boroughs. 

In a conference call with reporters, Diaz said the current extremes in the debate -- between the "status quo," which makes it illegal for livery cabs to pick up streets hails (only licensed "yellow" taxis are allowed to pick-up random people on streets throughout the five boroughs, but they operate almost exclusively in Manhattan), and the city's new plan to create a new fleet of street hail-able taxis that could operate in outer boroughs (as well as Manhattan) -- were both "unacceptable."

[In the morning, before Diaz spoke with reporters, livery operators and elected officials rallied on City Hall to protest the current plan, which would add 6,000 new taxis and allow many of them to pick up passengers in all five boroughs.]

Instead, Diaz offered an alternative "framework" for a new plan that might not please everyone, he said, but might lead to a compromise that would please enough people to get passed and have an impact on the industry and customers.

No 5 Train Service This Weekend

This in from the MTA: 5 train service will be suspended this weekend from 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 22 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 25 for track work.

Riders can catch free shuttle buses between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street, or take the 2 for service between East 180th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse and the 4 for service between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Brooklyn Bridge.

Snow Commute: No Bronx Buses

(File photo courtesy of Sen. Diaz's office)

Morning, folks. The MTA website seems to be having some technical issues, most likely from all the harried commuters who are trying to visit it at once. But they've posted a winter service advisory update to let us know that bus service in the Bronx is suspended right now (bus service in the other boroughs is being restored, slowly.)

As for trains, the agency says most lines are running, but expect delays all around. You can check here for twitter updates on specific lines. 

[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here.

Bus Route Changes

Good news for bus riders in the eastern part of the borough: the MTA announced changes to three bus lines--the Bx4A, Bx8 and Bx24--that restore some services which were cut in June.


See the flyer below for details.
Bus Changes

Rev. Diaz Blasts Mayor's Blizzard Response

State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., is blaming Mayor Bloomberg for the mess made by this week's storm, saying the city was ill-prepared for Sunday's blizzard. The Rev. sent out these photos today of a stranded MTA bus  stuck in the snow at West Farms Road and East 167th Street.

“Days before this storm hit we all knew it was coming. No one even put chains on the tires of city buses, sanitation trucks or ambulances in preparation for the storm," Diaz said in a press release he sent out yesterday. "I have said it before and will say it again, Mayor Michael Bloomberg needs to be held accountable."

Gothamist has a growing photo gallery of abandoned city buses. For those of you who made it to work today--how was your commute? I took the 4 train, and though I waited a few minutes longer than usual, things appeared to be running fairly smoothly. 

Here are some additional photos of the storm's transportation wreckage, shot by Lenny Shutterman. 

Below, a city bus gets stuck at Crosby and Coddington Avenues. 

 Reporter David Greene snapped this shot of some unhappy-looking Bronxites digging out their cars on Paulding Avenue. 

Vacca Decries Transit Funds "Sweep"

Bronx Councilman James Vacca sent a letter to Albany earlier this week, demanding that Gov. Paterson and other leaders steer clear of using dedicated public transit funds to help close the state's $315 million budget deficit.

Last year, a similarly cash-strapped Albany diverted money--$143 million--from taxes earmarked for the MTA into the state's general fund to close its budget gap. The shortfall put the already financially unstable MTA in an even worse position; service on bus and subway lines across the city were slashed, to the outrage of riders.

For the coming year, the MTA has already proposed a new round of service cuts and a 7.5 percent fare increase. Transportation advocates, and Vacca, worry that another "raid" on transit taxes will mean even more crowded trains, and longer waits for the bus.

"New York City cannot survive without a vibrant mass transit system, and our mass transit system cannot survive without a stable source of funding," the letter states. Read the rest below.

Vacca is the chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee.
2010.11.08 MTA Funding