Federal Sandy Aid Designated For Port Authority Sites Damaged By Flooding
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has secured $195.7 million in federal aid to help with repairs following superstorm Sandy.
Much of the Port Authority's infrastructure was badly damaged in the storm surge. Millions of gallons of salt water gushed into the PATH train stations, leaving the commuter rail service out of commission for months following the Oct. 29 storm.
About $141.5 million of the funding will go towards repairing the PATH train line, with the remaining $54.2 million designated for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub.
New York's two senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer announced the federal aid package.
"These funds were rushed to the Port Authority and arrived here in near record time after the passage of the Sandy aid bill," said Schumer. "This $200 million will help resume and accelerate progress on getting the PATH trains up and running at full steam, and will help to make sure other projects aren't stalled while the cleanup from Sandy continues."
The storm cost $2 billion in damage to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including damage to area airports, rail systems, bridges and tunnels.
"The devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy to our city's mass transit and infrastructure is unprecedented," said Gillibrand. "This critical funding is an important step to help New York recover and rebuild. I will continue to work with my colleagues and localities to ensure that New York has infrastructure in place to rebuild better and weather future natural disasters."
The World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which is set to open in 2015, will be an 800,000-square-foot hub that'll house the PATH, connect to 13 subway lines via the Fulton Street Transit Center and other terminals, and link pedestrians to the World Financial Center and its ferries through an underground concourse.
The $50.5 billion federal Sandy aid package was passed by Congress and signed into law in January.
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