FEMA to commit $4.55 billion to Downtown transportation

Real Estate Weekly, August 21, 2002

Up to $4.55 billion will be committed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S .Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration toward revamping Lower Manhattan's transportation infrastructure damaged during the World Trade Center attack.

"We will work closely with FTA and the city and state of New York to provide a public transportation network for Lower Manhattan that will not only replace what was lost on Sept. 11, but will give the city a state-of-the-art system for its commuters," announced FEMA director Joe M. Allbaugh.

FEMA will maintain a leadership role with the city and state in the recovery effort, with the ETA providing transportation project management and oversight expertise required for the project. Special efforts will be made to streamline aid delivery.

"This funding will help us move forward to rebuild and improve our crucial transportation infrastructure-an essential component of our ongoing effort to bring Lower Manhattan and New York City back even stronger and better than before," said Governor George E. Patald. "I want to thank President Bush and FEMA director Joe Allbaugh for their unwavering commitment to helping New York recover and rebuild since Sept. 11."

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that "FEMA's unprecedented decision will give us the opportunity to rebuild Lower Manhattan to meet New York City's long-term needs."

The disaster's aftermath on Lower Manhattan's landscape and travel patterns presented a chance to provide a new transit system that replaces damaged components while stimulating economic recovery and addressing the substantial increase in use on the system by visitors to the World Trade Center area.

Typically, FEMA's Public Assistance program reimburses disaster-related losses and damages on individual projects.

Recognizing the interdependence of Lower Manhattan's bus, subway, rail, ferry services, and walkways, FEMA broadly interpreted its guidelines to allow maximum flexibility to support Manhattan's transportation needs.

Eligible projects may include a new PATH terminal, a new Metropolitan Transit Authority transit center, and a pedestrian concourse extending from the World Financial Center to Broadway.