This is E X T R E M E bullsh*t.
I'm not even sure why I'm bothering to censor myself. You can fill in the i on your own. This is a family feed.
Counterpoint: Don't rejoice because the alternatives are all significantly worse for Brooklyn and now the city and its wimpy mayor can renege on mitigation plans because the shutdowns will just be extended nights and weekends forever.
Everyone who spoke up during months and months and months of hearings on this wanted the shorter shutdown. This man is an abysmal joke. Call his office and yell at him for the next few weeks.
Re.....joice? Nah. Stop this framing.
Cuomo has trotted out the dean of the Cornell School of Engineering for his press conference, and as I hear it, a lot of rank-and-file MTA staffers are L I V I D at this person.
"I had the best experts on the planets look at it."
The guy had two buddies from local schools look at it, and he sounds like Trump now.
The guy had two buddies from local schools look at it, and he sounds like Trump now.
No. Wrong. Try again.
Cuomo is forcing the MTA to use a new design that has never been implemented in a tunnel restoration and that are new to the rail industry in this country. This is going to be a mess.
I have a call now. I'll be back.
I have a call now. I'll be back.
I'm all in on trying new and better technologies in NYC especially to improve construction, but this seems like the worst possible and least thoughtful way to do it.
Four weeks for some academics without much practical experience in the field to come up with an unproven approach to rebuilding critical tunnel infrastructure. This strikes me as insane.
An underlying problem here - that @MarketUrbanism has pointed out - is how no one involved in this has any credibility. The MTA certainly doesn't in the eyes of the public, and Cuomo took an interest in this a month ago.
"This allows New York to take a leadership position in monitoring infrastructure," says one of Cuomo's pals.
Is the 'why' of this becoming clear now?
Is the 'why' of this becoming clear now?
Cuomo keeps saying "no rail system has used this before" as if that's a selling point and not a major caution flag.
I'm less pessimistic about this than I was an hour ago, but there is just a ton more risk involved in this approach. A ton.
Cuomo speaking now about infrastructure so it's clear this is about positioning himself as an infrastructure champion for a 2020 run fwiw.
I'm not sure why this press conference has focused so much on cabling though. It's not just cabling that's the issue. All systems inside the tunnel (signals, etc.) needs to be repaired.
This right here.
It's worth noting the MTA did a full rebuild of the Montague St Tunnel through a 24/7 shutdown. They finished early and under budget. The only reason the L drew more attention is bc it carries more riders with fewer nearby redundant transit options. It was to be the same work.
Andrew Cuomo is taking about fish.
Now he's talking calling up Tesla to talk about ultra-wide band signalling technology which isn't how the ultra-wide band signalling tech project came up. What is happening here? Stop talking.
The ultra-wideband signalling idea came out of the original genius competition and Tesla has nothing to do with it, as far as I know. This is just rambling.
metro-magazine.com/technology/art…
metro-magazine.com/technology/art…
Cuomo's already walking back a timeline of 15-20 months. "It's a silly question to ask if I'm going to promise" what the MTA can do.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
Danger. Danger. Danger.
No one knows how much this change is going to cost. No one has talked about what happens with the mitigation plans. Longer G trains? No idea. Ave. A entrance work? No idea.
Cuomo is now saying "This is do it right. replace it all. But don't put it back in the benchwall. Put in a rackwell."
On costs, he says it'll be lower. He also just called himself "a monster to negotiate with." I've heard that before from someone else too.
On costs, he says it'll be lower. He also just called himself "a monster to negotiate with." I've heard that before from someone else too.
Cuomo just said, "No, I am not in charge of the MTA." Unbelievable.
Lots of story-telling going on: "I never told the MTA about the plan. They heard the presentation. They were working with the MTA from the first day."
Where is the "throws hands up in the air in
extreme resignation and walks away to get lunch" emoji?
extreme resignation and walks away to get lunch" emoji?
Memo from Fernando Ferrer to the MTA Board sent right before the press conference. Some members may not have been briefed ahead of time. Query how the MTA “accept the recommendations” when that is ostensibly the Board’s role. 
Totally unrelated but this dude yelling at me over my comments on Ferrar's memo and then informing me he's blocking me is the strangest reaction I've seen to Andrew Cuomo in a while.
My wording was a bit imprecise in that the MTA can accept the recommendation on its own but requires board approval to change the Judlau L train contact or enter into a new one for this changed scope of work (let alone re-review the mitigation plans), but still.
Updated my post. More to come: 2avesag.as/2R7C8Ox
(whispers to no one)
Does the MTA have to re-do its Environmental Assessment for the L train work since the scope of the project seemingly changed so drastically in the span of three hours today?
Does the MTA have to re-do its Environmental Assessment for the L train work since the scope of the project seemingly changed so drastically in the span of three hours today?
Adding this to the ongoing thread for continuity's sake:
This is the biggest question, right? Cuomo insisted the tunnel is structurally sound, but all the technical folks I've heard from are pointing to what Max is pointing to here.
