Advocates Propose 'Cut-and-Cover' Method to Halve 125th Street Subway Extension Costs
A group of transit advocates and academics, the Effective Transit Alliance (ETA), suggests that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) could reduce the estimated $7.7 billion cost of the 125th Street subway extension by half. Their report, titled 'Digging Out of a Very Deep Hole: Saving Billions on 125th Street,' advocates for the use of 'cut-and-cover' construction techniques and the building of shallower, smaller stations. This method involves excavating the street to construct the subway tunnel just beneath the surface, then covering it back up. The ETA argues that this approach, combined with narrower platforms and the elimination of extensive non-passenger areas, could bring the project's cost down to $3.4 billion, aligning with the Marron Institute's 'A Better Billion' proposal. The report comes as the MTA is accelerating design and environmental review for the project, which aims to extend the Q train with three new stops along 125th Street, significantly improving transit connections in Ha... 
