Each passing day seems to bring some new indignity to New Yorkers’ commutes. Last week, even Mayor de Blasio and Senator Bernie Sanders were stuck waiting for a delayed A train. Yet if the ongoing subway crisis reminds the city of anything, it is the dangers of neglecting infrastructure. And transit is just the tip of the shovel. 

In this Crain's New York Business op-ed, Matt A.V. Chaban, CUF's policy director and Fisher Fellow, argues that it’s time for an infrastructure rescue plan for New York City. The city faces at least $47 billion in unmet infrastructure needs just to reach a state of good repair, according to the Center for an Urban Future. Any major expansions or sweeping modernizations would cost billions more. While such staggering sums might seem insurmountable, they will only grow the longer the city and state wait. With infrastructure in crisis everywhere, officials need to direct sustained funding to these critical needs. 

Read the op-ed here. 

This op-ed is a continuation of the Center for an Urban Future's extensive research on New York City's infrastructure, including the groundbreaking studies Slow Build, Freight Foward: Boosting NYC's Sagging Air Cargo Sector Should be Part of NYC's Good Job Strategy, and Caution Ahead. 

^{Photo credit: Alex Kay/Flickr}