Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has a lot on his mind when it comes to the island he is in charge of overseeing.
Among those topics are the impending extension of the Second Avenue Subway from the Upper East Side into East Harlem; Levine’s plan for utilizing at least 170 vacant lots across Manhattan to build more affordable housing; efforts to combat the scourge of fires connected with lithium ion batteries commonly found in e-scooters and e-bikes; and what role artificial intelligence (AI) will play in the Big Apple going forward.
Levine gave his thoughts on these subjects during a July 7 phone interview with amNewYork Metro.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
amNY: On July 5, it was reported that construction is going to be starting before year’s end on the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway. The first phase, completed in 2017, extended the Q train from 57th Street and 7th Avenue up to 96th Street and Second Avenue. The second phase will further extend the line to 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in East Harlem, where it will join the 4, 5 and 6 trains. What do you see coming out of that project for East Harlem and Manhattan?
BP Levine: Let’s point out the lack of transit access in East Harlem. By the standards of Manhattan, it’s a transit desert. For people who are around Second Avenue and farther east, it’s a 15-minute walk, at least to the subway, maybe more. And so if people have mobility challenges, that’s a major barrier. And what we saw for the Upper East Side the addition of this new line was transformative and already has been used so heavily and really made life so much easier for people living around Second Avenue on the East Side. And in the name of equity, we want the same for the folks in East Harlem. But the connection to the Lexington Avenue Line also means that this project will relieve overcrowding on the 4, 5 and 6 [trains]. And it will be a benefit to everyone up and down those lines.
Look…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply