Repairs to the New York City subway's 7 line have been extended by five months, with the project's cost now projected to reach $254 million. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) anticipates completion in March of next year, a delay from the originally planned October completion date.
The project's budget has also seen a significant increase. New work has added $2.8 million to the overall cost, bringing the total to $254.4 million, which is approximately 17% above the initial $217 million estimate. This is not the first budget adjustment; earlier changes had already added $34.5 million to the contract.
According to MTA documents, the extended timeline and increased costs are partly due to the discovery of additional deteriorated steel beams. Rail inspectors identified 22 more sections requiring repair on the Flushing-bound platforms at the 52nd Street and 69th Street stations. An MTA spokesperson noted that the full extent of steel deterioration often becomes apparent only after construction begins.
These changes were also attributed to the "direct costs of resequencing the work and ten months of impact costs," as stated in MTA documents. The latest increase brings the total cost to $254.4 million.
Subway riders have already been experiencing service disruptions since May, with Flushing-bound trains skipping both the 52nd Street and 69th Street stations. Passengers traveling to these stations must currently travel past their destination, switch to a Manhattan-bound train, and then double back. Similarly, passengers departing from these stations towards Flushing must travel towards Manhattan before reversing direction.