US DOT Overtakes Reconstruction of NYC’s Penn Station
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it will be overseeing the long-awaited reconstruction of Penn Station, a project amounting to $7 billion. Secretary of Transportation (SOT) Sean Duffy told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) that the Federal Railroad Administration will replace the MTA with Amtrak to lead Penn Station’s redevelopment.
“The MTA’s history of inefficiency, waste, and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed. By putting taxpayers first, we’re ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub all Americans can take pride in,” Duffy stated in a press release.
Penn Station was built in 1910 and demolished in 1966. After its demolition, it was reconstructed as an underground station, to the outrage of many who lauded its neo-Classical architecture.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is sparring with the DOT over NYC congestion tolling, is in favor of this decision: “This is a major victory for New Yorkers, and the use of federal funds will save New York taxpayers $1.3 billion dollars that would have otherwise been necessary for this project,” Hochul commented.
This decision will save New York taxpayers $120 million, according to Secretary Duffy. Any detailed plans for the reconstruction of Penn Station have yet to be settled on. However, a renovation plan known as “Grand Penn” reportedly has ties to President Donald Trump. This plan seeks to reproduce the classical architectural aesthetic that the station had before its 1966 demolition.
According to World Architects: “The Grand Penn proposal would demolish MSG and most of the existing station above grade, replace it with a public park, and build a new neo-traditional entrance reminiscent of the original Penn Station demolished in the 1960s… [T]he proposal is being pushed by the National Civic Art Society, the DC nonprofit led by Justin Shubow, who chaired the US Commission of Fine Arts during Trump’s first term and is widely known as the driving force behind Trump’s executive order to beautify federal architecture.”
