New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials recently approved the last major contract needed for the East Side Access project in Manhattan Caverns.
This contract will result in eight new tracks and four platforms for the new Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) terminal, to be located approximately 100 feet below Grand Central Terminal.
Another contract approved in December 2015 gave crews permission to build a tunnel approach and a bridge in Sunnyside, Queens.
“With the award of these contracts, the eventual completion of East Side Access is starting to come into view,” Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction, which is building the project, said. “This is the next chapter in the long history of Grand Central Terminal and the growth and development of New York City.”
These last two contracts total nearly $1 billion.
“These are significant milestones for East Side Access and will turn raw underground caverns into the modern station that LIRR customers will use when they head directly to and from the East Side of Manhattan,” MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas Prendergast said. “The Sunnyside contract will make it possible for trains to reach Grand Central Terminal. East Side Access will save Long Island and Queens customers up to 40 minutes a day in travel time, demonstrating why transit expansion is a key element of our 2015-19 Capital Program.”
