Letters of Support, Testimony, & Position Statements
Building Congress, Construction & Civic Leaders Urge Full Funding of the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Program
Published on Mar 6, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 6, 2025
Construction, and Civic Leaders Urge Full Funding of the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Program
Dear Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie Re: Building,
We write to express our strong support for fully funding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) proposed 2025–2029 Capital Plan and urge you to include MTA funding in your proposed budgets. We have full confidence in the MTA to be effective and efficient stewards of public funding, with a more enhanced capacity for project delivery than ever before.
We also assure you and your colleagues that the building industry is confident in its capacity to deliver this plan. Investing in the MTA Capital Program is essential to New York’s economic vitality and the future of transit in our region. Creating 72,700 total jobs and $106 billion in total economic output across New York State, routine and robust capital investments like the 2025-2029 Capital Plan are critical not only for improving our transportation infrastructure, but also for sustaining a thriving economy and labor force.
The MTA Capital Plan generates economic activity in all 10 Regional Economic Development Council regions across New York State. It is impossible to overstate how important a functional transit network is for maintaining the city’s status as a global economic powerhouse. The MTA’s capital plan is ambitious and necessary, from critical system upgrades (like signal modernization efforts, replacements for aging equipment, station enhancements, and accessibility improvements) to forward-thinking expansion projects (like the proposed Interborough Express). Deferred maintenance and delayed upgrades today will lead to emergency repairs and costlier fixes tomorrow— ultimately placing a heavier burden on commuters, taxpayers, and the entire economy.
Delivering capital projects in New York City is sometimes a monumental task, challenged by unique factors that drive up costs and complexity: the city’s dense built environment, the need for projects to proceed without disrupting current transit operations, and the high costs associated with such complex logistics. Despite these challenges, the establishment of the MTA Construction & Development department has brought significant improvements in streamlining project planning and delivery. Recent innovations have seen hundreds of millions of dollars in savings. Efficiency gains at the MTA means that now more than ever, funding the Capital Program is a smart, efficient investment. This translates to greater returns for taxpayers, ensuring safe and reliable service, improved customer experiences, and a strengthened fight against climate change. The upcoming capital plan is poised to set a new standard for the effective use of public funds.
We are committed to working with you to shape the future of this region, and we greatly value our continued collaboration with the MTA. We call on policymakers to provide the full funding necessary for the 2025–2029 Capital Plan—an investment that will sustain New York’s economy, create jobs, and drive innovation across the region.
Thank you,
Carlo A. Scissura, Esq. President and CEO New York Building Congress
Elizabeth Crowley, President and CEO Building Trades Employers’ Association
Mike Elmendorf, President and CEO AGC NYS
John T. Evers, PhD President and CEO ACEC New York
Felice Farber, Executive Director Subcontractors Trade Association
Gary LaBarbera, President
Jesse Lazar, Executive Director AIA New York
John F. O’Har,e Managing Director Building Contractors Assoc., Inc.
Chad Purkey, Interim Executive Director Association for a Better New York
Robert G. Wessels, Executive Director General Contractors Assocation of New York
Tom Wright, President and CEO Regional Plan Association
Aislinn S. McGuire, Managing Director Building and Construction Trades Council CAGNY
