Overview
- The MTA board, which plans a Wednesday vote to clear a $1.1 billion package to excavate the 106th Street station, says it will not award the work until federal reimbursements resume.
- USDOT halted payments in October to review the MTA’s compliance with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise rules, which set participation targets for minority- and women-owned firms.
- The MTA sued in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims last week seeking about $58.6–$60 million in withheld reimbursements and asking for expedited relief to keep Phase 2 on track.
- Contract 3 would open a nearly five-block, 60-foot-deep trench along Second Avenue to build the 106th Street station box and link to existing tunnels, with a Skanska–Walsh–Traylor joint venture lined up for the job.
- Shop owners near 105th–110th Streets say pre-construction fencing is cutting walk-in traffic, underscoring short-term strain as a project expected to extend Q service to 125th Street advances.