Progress being made on MTA East Side Access project

Senator Betty Little stands at the top of an escalator shaft being constructed as part of the East Side Access (ESA) project in Manhattan.    ESA is the nation’s largest transit public works project.  When completed, it will dramatically shorten commute times for Long Island Rail Road passengers, significantly reduce crowding in Penn Station and Penn Station bound trains and help reduce traffic congestion during peak hours on the East River bridges and tunnels. 

Today, over 2,300 workers are directly employed because of the East Side Access project.  Once complete, ESA will have created almost 195,000 direct jobs over the life of the project.