Construction Costs True Outrage: MTA Board's Free Passes Distract From Real Ripoffs
By MEL LEVY
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (under threat from the New York State Attorney General) has given up free non-business-related passes (EZ Pass, LIRR rides, etc.) for present and former MTA Board Members.

In this time of a supposed projected $500-million deficit, a savings of less than $250,000 per year may be achieved. This will not solve the Authority's fiscal problems. It is like the Roman circuses when people were starving or the French Queen saying "Let them eat cake" when the people couldn't get bread.

There are solutions to the MTA's economic woes. Capital debt keeps rising. The piper will be paid by the riding public in increased fares and drastically reduced service.

The Second Avenue Subway (a section from East 63rd to East 96th Sts.) is being constructed at 10 times the real cost. Where was the State Attorney General when this contract was being awarded (at $46,000 per inch) as approved by the MTA board on the recommendation of its engineering consultant (also overpaid by over $500 million for the 2nd Ave Subway design) and the unapproved (by the State Legislature) Capital Program Company, which is now headed by a lawyer in apparent violation of the State Education Law.

Where were the big-time media, the State Legislature, the Governor and the transit advocates (straphangers, etc.) As an afterthought, if the Second Ave subway is completed, it will be an operating-dollar loser. There will be no increase in subway ridership but it will require additional people and rolling stock etc. to run it.

The East Side Connection was promoted at $2.2 billion and will probably come in at $8 billion. In-house engineering (before the project began) proposed a cheaper solution (at $250 million). See how much that could reduce capital debt (and would have been completed). Again, where were the Attorney General, the media, the State Legislature, the Governor and the transit advocates?

The Authority is continuing to way overpay for engineering consultants and capital construction (see the way-over-budget Fulton Street Complex). Where is the Attorney General, etc.?

Why doesn't the Authority keep costs down by using in-house people (such as members of Chapter 2 of Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375)?

Again, where are the Attorney General, the leadership of Chapter 2, etc.? The public deserves better. It should not be ripped off.

Mr. Levy, a retired veteran of 35 years in the transit system who monitored the structural integrity of the subway system's below-river tunnels, is the former chairman of the Civil Service Technical Guild's New York City Transit chapter.