Officials say the city’s subways and buses are operating at full weekend service after some major disruptions from Friday’s rain.
“This event was historic. In some areas, it was record shattering,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul Saturday, as she visited the MTA’s Rail Control Center in Hell’s Kitchen.
The governor walked through, thanking the staff who worked through the storm to get subway service restored.
By Saturday morning, full weekend service was up and running.
“That is an extraordinary accomplishment to think that 24 hours ago, even 18 hours ago, you could have said that, that would have been in doubt,” said Hochul.
Torrential rains Friday impacted New Yorkers across the five boroughs.
The storm left cars and buses flooded with water, and nearly every train line disrupted for most of the day.
Officials say changes made after past storms helped minimize impacts this weekend.
“Making sure that all the drains are functional, both at the street level operated by the city, but also in our own system. Raising the stairs outside of subway entrances. So that you get another six or eight inches of protection from surrounding water. We did all of that and it actually paid off this time,” said MTA CEO Janno Lieber. “The big post-Sandy investments in low-lying key facilities like the Coney Island Yard and 207th Street Yard have really paid off in these mega water events. We need to continue those major investments.”
City officials agreeing about those long-term improvements and acknowledging there are also short-term measures that could help.
“We can build rain gardens along our streets, recreate playgrounds so that it’s not blacktop, but water, permeable surfaces that can absorb water. These are things we can do quickly,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “It might not sound like much, but if you can divert water from going into the sewer system, you’re going to avoid the kind of flooding that we saw yesterday.”
During the press conference, Hochul said that congestion pricing will play a key role in continuing infrastructure investments.
“We have to make sure we have the resources to continue making these investments. And that’s why I once again will be unveiling congestion pricing next year. And that is an opportunity for us to raise the funds, have the funds set aside in the capital improvements so we can continue making sure that we’re ready for not the storms of 1000 years, of the storms of 100 years, but the storms are literally coming month by month,” she said.