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On the (Sub)Way to Recovery: Historic Funding for a New Era in Transportation Anthony Caruso, a New Jersey resident and head of software development for a Wall Street trading company, is grateful for the New York Waterway ferry. For Caruso and thousands of other commuters like him, the ferry was the only way home from lower Manhattan on September 11, after the PATH train was destroyed in the terrorist attack. Now, FEMA and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has put in motion a plan that will give Caruso and other New York and New Jersey commuters not only a subway option again, but a much-needed, state-of-the-art transportation system. In an unprecedented commitment of federal dollars, FEMA and FTA agreed to provide $4.55 billion for the new transit system, which promises to be one of the most innovative projects to result from the post-9/11 recovery effort. "This is a one-of-a-kind transit system worthy of a one-of-a-kind city," said Mike Brown, FEMA's deputy director, during an announcement of the project in August 2002. "The vision of building a transportation system that will support the economic recovery of lower Manhattan can be a reality."
In addition, the disaster's impact on lower Manhattan's landscape and travel patterns presented a chance to provide a new transit system, one that will replace damaged components while stimulating economic recovery. It will also address the anticipated ridership increase. "This funding will help us move forward to rebuild and improve our crucial transportation infrastructure; an essential component of our ongoing effort to bring lower Manhattan and New York City back even stronger and better than before," New York Governor George E. Pataki said when the funding plan was announced. "I thank President Bush and FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh for their unwavering commitment to helping New York recover and rebuild since September 11." Projects under consideration include a new PATH terminal, a new Metropolitan Transit Authority-New York City Transit Center, and a pedestrian concourse extending from the World Financial Center to Broadway. The final decisions as to what transit projects are built and how to build them will be done at the local level. Once the plans are finalized, construction on the projects is expected to take three to five years. In the meantime, commuters like Anthony Caruso will continue to ride the ferry to lower Manhattan. "Of course the ferry is busier now than before September 11," says Caruso. "And it doesn't run as often as the PATH. I'll go back to the PATH when it is up and running again." In response to the events of 9/11, FEMA's Public Assistance program
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Typically, FEMA reimburses only for disaster-related losses and damages. Recognizing the interdependence of lower Manhattan's bus, subway, rail, ferry and walkways, FEMA broadly interpreted its guidelines to allow maximum flexibility to support lower Manhattan's transportation needs as the region recovers from the attack.