User:Marc Shepherd/Archer Avenue

Early plans
In February 1963, the Transit Authority proposed a two-track East River subway tunnel under 76th Street with unspecified connections to the rest of the transit network, at a cost of $139 million. In a May 2 1963 report, the proposed site of the tunnel was switched to 59th Street. On May 24, Mayor Wagner suggested that a tunnel around 61st Street "be built with all deliberate speed." On October 17 1963, the Board of Estimate approved a new East River tunnel sited at 64th Street, noting that it would cost $30 million and take seven years to build. The 64th Street site was said to be $5.3 million less expensive, "because of easier grades and smaller curves."

The lack of specificity about how the tunnel would be used was criticized at an early date. In December 1964, the Citizens Budget Committee said that the project (now shifted to a 63rd Street site) was "leading nowhere-to-nowhere." The Committee went on to propose three connections that were eventually adopted (to the BMT Broadway Line and IND Sixth Avenue Line, both at 57th Street, to the IND Queens Boulevard Line at Queens Plaza), and one that wasn't (to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line).

The Board of Estimate approved the revised 63rd Street route on January 14 1965, at a budget of $28.1 million and a four-year timetable, with the connections to the rest of the transit network awaiting a study that was then scheduled for completion in mid-1966. The Times noted that "A variety of possible connections...are under study," including possible new lines under Madison and Second Avenues. The Transit Authority's chairman, Joseph E. O'Grady, said that the tunnel and the subway connections would eventually be completed at about the same time, "since construction of the tunnel takes at least a year longer than the connections."

In November 1967, voters approved a $2.5 billion transportation bond issue, and in early 1968 officials provided detailed plans for how it would be used. Among many other projects, the proposal included:
 * The bi-level 63rd Street tunnel for both subway and Long Island Railroad service
 * A new subway line for northeastern Queens along the Long Island Expressway right-of-way
 * A new subway line for southeastern Queens diverging from the IND Queens Boulevard line at Hillside avenue, running along the LIRR Atlantic Branch right-of-way
 * A super-express bypass for the IND Queens Boulevard Line running along the LIRR mainline between Queens Boulevard and Forest Hills

This proposal, with some modifications, received approval from the Board of Estimate on September 21 1968.

Construction
Construction on the 63rd Street Line began on November 25 1969, with tunneling westward in Queens, as well as in both directions under Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island). The double-deck, 3,140-foot tunnel under the East River was holed through on October 10 1972. The East River tunnel was completed in 1973, and outfitting for the new lines that were to run through it was to begin in early 1974. Work on the segment of the line that ran under Central Park was started in 1971 and was completed in 1973. Construction began on the section between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue betan in August 1974.

On March 20 1975, New York mayor Abraham Beame announced significant cutbacks to the plan. Construction of the Southeastern Queens extension was "delayed to 1981," and the Long Island Railroad extension through the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel was "indefinite[ly] shelved." However, it was still anticipated tha the Queens Boulevard super-express and the Archer Avenue Line up to Parsons/Archer would still be completed. (The Second Avenue Subway had been dropped the previous December.) The Queens project, although curtailed, was given priority because it was "more advanced in construction."

By the summer of 1976, the Transit Authority would announce that "it will take an extra five or six years&mdash;until 1987 or 1988&mdash;to complete the new Manhattan–Queens trunk subway line from Central Park to Jamaica via the new 63rd Street tunnel." The main cause of the delay was the 5.8-mile "super express," although it was expected that the three new Archer Avenue line stations could be ready sooner. As an interim measure, the authority proposed a new station at Northern Boulevard, adjacent to the Queens Plaza, could be open by 1983 or 1984.

The Manhattan portion of the line was completed in 1976. The Times noted:


 * Underneath Central Park lie two eerily quiet sets of tracks. They have advanced equipment &mdash; welded tracks, fluorescent lighting and rubber-based pads under the rail &mdash; that have not yet been installed on most of the system's 230 operating miles.
 * These tunnels were finished in 1976. This year, the contractor will tear down his two-story office in Central Park, remove the fence near Fifth Avenue and restore foliage and the bird house he damaged, at a cost of $300,000.
 * By 1981, five years after completion of the tunnel, the Transit Authority expects to put it to use; its brand new quiet tracks will be used as a storage yard for out-of-service trains.

The unused tunnel
In May 1978, the Times noted, "What started out a few years ago as 40 miles of new subway routes to serve the long-suffering residents of Queens has been whittled down to 15 miles, is years behind schedule, and will cost more than twice as much as originally estimated....The line costs $100,000 a foot, will be very short and will serve only a modest number of riders." The article now noted that the Queens super-express had been deferred "to 1988 at the earliest," and the only sections in progress were the 63rd Street Line to Northern Boulevard, and "a small piece along Archer Avenue." The 63rd Street Line's opening date was projected for 1985. The plan depended on the idea that Queens Boulevard riders would be willing to exit the subway at Queens Plaza and walk a city block to a new station at Northern Boulevard to continue their trip. The transit authority projected that this transfer would draw 11,000 passengers a day.

By October 1980, officials considered stopping both projects in lieu of investing in maintenance of the existing system. By now, the Archer Avenue project was projected for completion in 1984, and the 63rd Street line in 1985. The Times noted that the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel was still under construction, even though "officials knew that the tunnel would never be used." Richard Ravitch, the MTA chairman, said that to stop the work was impossible or so costly as to make it impractical subwequent to the construction of the subway portion." It "had to be finished &mdash; largely for structural reasons &mdash; to support the subway tunnel above." It was described a as a "tunnel to nowhere."

In the spring of 1983, the MTA took a fresh look at the tunnel, considering every possibility between leaving it as-is (with its terminus in Long Island City), to the original 1960s plan, the cost of which was now estimated at $1 billion. Without some kind of connection to the rest of the Queens subway network, the line was expected to attract just 220 passengers per hour during the morning rush.

The plan eventually adopted was the least expensive (other than doing nothing) &mdash; to connect the tunnel to the local tracks of the IND Queens Boulevard Line, at a cost of of $222 million, and a timetable of at least eight years. It was estimated that the project would attract 16,500 passengers per hour. The MTA board approved this plan on December 14 1984. The section of the line up to Long Island City was projected to open by the end of 1985.

By June 1985, the project was delayed again:


 * The 63d Street subway tunnel, which has been under construction for 14 years and was scheduled to open later this year, has serious flaws and will not open on time, transit officials said yesterday.


 * Some parts of the tunnel, which links Manhattan and Queens, are flooded with six feet of water, officials said. In other areas, girders are rusting and electrical equipment has corroded.


 * The officials would not predict publicly when the $600 million structure might be opened or how much the repairs would cost.

Two contractors were hired to assess the structural integrity of the tunnel, and the delay was estimated at two years. In August 1985, the federal government&mdash;at the instigation of Senator Alphonse D'Amato&mdash;suspended funding on both the 63rd Street and Archer Avenue projects&mdash;over "concerns with the construction management practices." The two projects had cost $1 billion between them, of which the federal government had provided $530 million for 63rd Street and $295 million for Archer Avenue.

Opening
By 1987, the MTA's contractors had concluded that the tunnel was structurally sound, although federal funding had not yet been released. On February 6 1987, the MTA approved a new plan to have the tunnel open by October 1989. The agency also proposed a $550 million, 1,500-foot connector to both the express and local tracks of the IND Queens Boulevard Line. Under the plan, the Queens Boulevard Line would be "reverse-signaled," which would accommodate Manhattan-bound trains on three out of the line's four tracks in the morning rush, and the opposite for the evening rush. This part of the plan was not projected to begin before the 1990s.

In June 1987, the federal government completed its own review of the project. "A little light appeared at the end of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 63d Street "tunnel to nowhere" last week," the Times reported, as the government's own inspector found the tunnel sound, and released the final installment of $60 for both the 63rd Street and Archer Avenue projects.

A month shy of twenty years after construction began, the line went into service on October 29 1989, after an expenditure of $868 million, with new stations at Lexington Avenue, Roosevelt Island, and 21st Street at 41st Avenue in Queens. The line was served by trains on weekdays and  trains on weekends. The 1,500-foot connector to the Queens Boulevard Line had not yet started construction.

Connection to the Queens Boulevard line
The remaining section from 21st Street to the Queens Boulevard Line opened on December 16, 2001. This new tunnel connection allowed rerouting the Queens Boulevard Line F trains via the 63rd Street tunnel, which increased capacity on the heavily travelled Queens Boulevard Line.

Archer Avenue Line
1968 "Program for Action" included several improvements for Queens: -- 63rd Street tunnel -- A new subway line for northeastern Queens along the Long Island Expressway right-of-way -- A new subway line for southeastern Queens diverging from the IND Queens Boulevard line at Hillside avenue, running along the LIRR Atlantic Branch ROW -- A super-express bypass for the IND Queens Boulevard Line running along the LIRR mainline between Queens Boulevard and Forest Hills

On November 2nd, 1971, state voters turned down a $2.5 billion state transportation bond issue. It happened again to a $3.5 billion bond issue on November 6th, 1973. In 1972, the planned extension to northeast Queens along the Long Island Expressway was "deferred".

Construction on the Archer Avenue subway began on August 15th, 1972, at Archer Avenue and 151st Street, paving the way for the southeast Queens subway line and the demolition of the Jamaica Avenue El from 121st Street to 169th Street.


 * The roar and shadows of the Jamaica Avenue Elevated may continue to plague local residents for some time, but its rattling lifespan is expected to come to an end shortly after work on two new subway routes nearby is completed in 1975.... When finished, commuters will be able to avail themselves of a new Southeast Queens line and a Jamaica connection, both underground.... According to some officials, the elevated line may be closed as early as next year, with buses used to supplement the existing train service.... full operation in 1980. ...ending near Springfield Boulevard. ("Jamaica Subway Under Way," New York Times, Jul. 8, 1973, p. 80.)

As of 1973, the single-track "super-express" proposal for the IND Queens Blvd. line was now two tracks. The line would meet the 63rd Street line in Sunnyside Yard and run via the LIRR and rejoin the Queens Blvd Line at 71st / Continental Avenues in Forest Hills. The BMT Jamaica El would be razed from 121st Street to 169th Street, and the Jamaica Line would run into the lower level of the Archer Ave. subway and terminate at Parsons Blvd (though tunneling would extend to Merrick Blvd). There was never a plan to connect the upper IND level and the lower BMT level of the Archer Avenue subway. (Some aficionados believe that the plan to place the BMT on the lower level was symbolic of treating the BMT as a second-class citizen ever since unification occurred in June of 1940!)

As of 1973, The 63rd Street tunnel was completed and outfitting for the new lines that were to run through it was to begin in early 1974. Three new subway lines were under construction (63rd Street, Second Avenue, Archer Avenue).

On June 14th, 1974, MTA Chairman Yunich and Mayor Beame announced plans to discontinue service on the Jamaica El north of Queens Blvd sometime in 1975. Service would end even before construction of the Archer Avenue line was completed. Bus service would take over in the affected areas.

As late as November 1974, the MTA still felt that many of the subway projects that were underway or planned would get done, as follows:

Southeast Queens Line to Springfield Blvd - 1981 The 63rd Street Line - 1982 The Second Avenue Subway from 34th Street to 125th Street, including the interchange with the 63rd Street Line - 1982 The "Super Express Bypass" from Sunnyside Yard to Forest Hills - 1983 Connecting the BMT Jamaica El with the Archer Avenue subway - 1983 Second Avenue Subway from 34th Street to Whitehall Street - 1988

As of March 9, 1975, the Times reported that "at a time when other subway projects are in jeopardy, workmen on the transit line are right on schedule." The full line out to Springfield Boulevard was still planned, along with the "super-express" along the LIRR ROW. Construction had started the previous week between the 63rd Street tunnel and Sunnyside Yards, which was to take four years. The super-express was in the design phase. Work on the first part of the Archer Avenue Line (between 147th and 151st Streets) was "80% complete," and the secction tunneling under the LIRR's mainline and the campus of York College was supposed to be completed by September 1976. ("Building Progresses On Subway in Jamaica", Edward C. Burks, The New York Times").

But just less than two weeks later, the administration of New York mayor Abraham Beame announced significant cutbacks to the plan. Construction of the Southeastern Queens extension was "delayed to 1981," and the Long Island Railroad extension through the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel was "indefinite[ly] shelved." However, it was still anticipated tha the Queens Boulevard super-express and the Archer Avenue Line up to Parsons/Archer would still be completed. The Second Avenue Subway had been dropped the previous December. The Queens project, although curtailed, was given priority because it was "more advanced in construction." ("Beame Trims Plan For New Subway," Edward C. Burks, The New York Times, March 21, 1975.) The projected end date was now "1981 to 1983."

By the summer of 1976, the Transit Authority would announce that "it will take an extra five or six years--until 1987 or 1988--to complete the new Manhattan-Queens trunk subway line from Central Park to Jamaica via the new 63rd Street tunnel." The main delay was said to be the 5.8-mile "super express," although it was expected that the three new Archer Avenue line stations could be ready sooner. It was also expected that a new station at Northern Boulevard, adjacent to the Queens Plaza station, could be open by 1983 or 1984. ("New Subway Line Delayed 5 or 6 Years," New York Times, Edward C. Burks, July 29, 1976.)

On September 10th, 1977, the Jamaica Elevated was permanently closed between Queens Blvd and 168th Street. The last revenue train left 168th Street at 12 midnight. Oddly, it was the politicians and the businesses in the area that wanted the El closed before the Archer Avenue subway would open. The TA really wasn’t interested in tearing it down. In fact, on September 20th, the TA ordered demolition of the structure to stop and they wanted to determine the cost of restoring the service. The moratorium didn’t last long, for demolition was resumed in October. Ironically, Macy’s announced the impending closure of their Jamaica store shortly after El service ended.

The closing of the Jamaica El was not without opposition. As a compromise, some residents and small businesses suggested cutting off the line at the Sutphin Boulevard stop, instead of Queens Boulevard. ("Proposel to End Jamaica Ave. El at Queens Boulevard is Opposed," New York Times, Glenn Fowler, July 27, 1975).

Construction on the Archer Avenue subway continued, too. The holing through of the Archer Avenue subway tunnels occurred on December 14th, 1977. On October 1st, 1979, groundbreaking for a 1,300 cut and cover section of the Archer Avenue line occurred. This section also included the Jamaica / Van Wyck station. Construction was supposed to be completed in early 1984.

In May 1978, the Times noted, "What started out a few years ago as 40 miles of new subway routes to serve the long-suffering residents of Queens has been whittled down to 15 miles, is years behind schedule, and will cost more than twice as much as originally estimated....The line costs $100,000 a foot, will be very short and will serve only a modest number of riders." ("Planned 40-Mile Queens Subway, Cut to 15, is Costly and Behind Time," Grace Lichetenstein, New York Times, May 9, 1978). The article now noted that the Queens super-express had been deferred "to 1988 at the earliest," and the only sections in progress were the 63rd Street Line to Northern Boulevard, and "a small piece along Archer Avenue." The 63rd Street Line's opening date was projected at 1985. The plan depended on the idea that Queens Boulevard riders would be willing to exit the subway at Queens Plaza and walk a city block to a new station at Northern Boulevard to continue their trip. The transit authority projected that this transfer would draw 11,000 passengers a day.

Despite the fiscal issues and uncertain funding, construction of the 63rd St subway continued on. Originally planned in the 1968 "Program for Action" as 40 miles of new subway for Queens, it had been reduced to 15 miles - the section under 63rd Street to 21st Street / Queensbridge, and the new subway under Archer Avenue to Parsons Blvd. The 21st Street / Queensbridge station was not in the original plan - it was added only after Queensbridge residents complained loudly enough to get it. Transit advocates at that time felt that the 63rd Street subway, in particular, would benefit very few people. The Transit Authority felt that people could be convinced to leave the E and F trains along Queens Blvd and transfer to the new line in Queensbridge. (The transfer would involve walking a block or two to the new line.) On August 8th, 1978, the federal government gave New York City $134.5 million in transit grants, most of which was slated for the 63rd Street line and an underground connection between the IND Queens Blvd line and the new station in Queensbridge. It was felt that the line could be open by 1981.

During this entire time, work on the 63rd St and Archer Avenue subway lines continued, although the MTA considered stopping work on these projects in October of 1980, and spending the money instead on maintaining the existing system. The Archer Avenue line was due to be completed in 1984, and the 63rd Street line in 1985. Progress of the Archer Avenue subway tunnel stopped in March 1982, when on March 5th, part of the tunnel caved in around the vicinity of Archer Avenue and 138th Street. One construction worker was killed, and three others narrowly escaped injury. This four-man crew was reinforcing the tunnel walls when this reinforcement gave way, causing the cave-in.48

To prepare the BMT Jamaica Elevated for its connection to the Archer Avenue subway, service on the elevated was cut back from the Queens Blvd station to 121st Street on April 13th, 1985. The connection would be made at 129th Street and the elevated structure east of that point would be demolished. The resulting "terminal" at 121st Street was inefficient because trains had to run single tracked for nearly ½ mile before entering the station. In November of 1987, a new double crossover north of the station was placed in service allowing J trains to relay north of the station. This also allowed both sides of the station to be used, the Archer Avenue-bound side for exiting passengers and the Manhattan-bound side for entering passengers.

By August of 1989, the Transit Authority was eyeing the following projects:92

Connecting the 63rd Street tunnel to the IND Queens Blvd line, Reverse signaling on both express tracks on the IND Queens Blvd line, and 250 new subway cars that would be used to provide the additional service, Every aspect of the early 1970s MTA "Program for Action" was shelved because of the 1975 fiscal crisis. Every aspect ... but two. And as we have seen, even these two projects were threatened multiple times with abandonment because of shifting funds or shifting priorities. In fact, federal funding ended in 1985 when structural defects were found in concrete along the 63rd Street line.

The first project was the Archer Avenue subway, of which only a small part (two miles) was actually completed. The line ends a few hundred feet beyond Parsons Blvd and Archer Avenue -- the proposed line in its entirety would have served southeast Queens. The three-station extension was 10 years late and nearly five times initial cost estimates.98 In December 11th, 1988, the Archer Avenue subway opened for business. This new extension would be the first added to the subway system since 1968, and the first extension in Queens since the IND Rockaway Line opened in 1956. The TA made sweeping service changes to many lines in conjunction with this opening, and rerouted lines that crossed the south side of the Manhattan Bridge -- a closure that would last until 2001!

The opening day ceremonies consisted in part of two special R-46 trains making limited stops on the E line to Jamaica Center for VIPs. A similar VIP service was set up on the J line with an R-42 consist. Special tokens were minted to commemorate the opening of this extension.

On the Archer Avenue subway, E trains would terminate on the upper level, and J trains would terminate on the lower level. New Z trains would skip-stop between Parsons / Archer and Broadway Junction during rush hours. Bus service on several Queens bus routes was rerouted to feed the Parsons/Archer station instead of 169th St / Jamaica. The J/Z service was touted as being faster to lower Manhattan than E, F and R service, in an attempt to relieve some crowding on the IND Queens Blvd line. It was hoped that passengers of the rerouted bus lines would use the "faster" J/Z service. As further enticement, every subway car that ran in J/Z service was completely graffiti free. Critics said that the line would do little to relieve crowding because the line did not extend as far as the Jamaica El did, and the Queens Blvd lines were already running at capacity. However, it did run very close to the LIRR's Jamaica station.

QUEENS LEADERS TOUT JAMAICA CENTER RENEWAL, New York Times, By GLENN FOWLER (NYT) 421 words, Published: September 19, 1982


 * One of Jamaica's most long-awaited projects is a $93 million academic core building for York College, the newest senior college in the City University system. The building, which will contain a library, classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories and offices grouped around an enclosed atrium, was delayed for many years by the city and state fiscal crises. It now stands half-completed; when finished in 1984 it will accommodate more than 6,000 students.


 * The college and the new Social Security building will be served by a two-level subway station on the Archer Avenue line, scheduled to begin service in 1986. The line, connecting with the IND Queens and BMT Jamaica Avenue services, is intended to relieve overcrowding during the morning and evening rush hours. The officials were ushered underground to inspect the graffiti-resistant tile walls of the Parsons Boulevard terminal.

63D ST. SUBWAY TUNNEL FLAWED; OPENING DELAYED

By SUZANNE DALEY (NYT) 850 words Published: June 28, 1985

The 63d Street subway tunnel, which has been under construction for 14 years and was scheduled to open later this year, has serious flaws and will not open on time, transit officials said yesterday.

Some parts of the tunnel, which links Manhattan and Queens, are flooded with six feet of water, officials said. In other areas, girders are rusting and electrical equipment has corroded.

The officials would not predict publicly when the $600 million structure might be opened or how much the repairs would cost.

It's just too early to say, said Robert R. Kiley, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The range of potential problems goes from a judgment that the tunnel is structurally sound but needs rehabilitation and repairs of substantial proportions, to a judgment that the tunnel does have structural problems.

One official estimated that it could take two years to correct the problems.

As recently as three months ago, transit officials said problems with the tunnel were minor and predicted that it would open by Jan. 1.

But officials said yesterday that lighting, ventilation, track and pumping equipment in the tunnel had been allowed to corrode and would now have to be replaced.

In addition, they said, the M.T.A. will have to find a way to control water seepage into the subway tunnel and an unused tunnel beneath it.

They said the entire 13,000-foot subway extension - in part carved through rock, in part 375-foot sections sunk under the silt in the East River -would have to be inspected for structural problems.

In light of some of the surface signs, Mr. Kiley said, we need to take a look to reassure ourselves and the public about the integrity of the structure.

Mr. Kiley and the president of the Transit Authority, David L. Gunn, said yesterday that they had become aware of the problems only recently as steps were taken to put the tunnel in service.

I kept getting statements from the engineering people not to worry, said Mr. Gunn, who took over the agency last February. But I was getting a different story from the operating people, who were going through the tunnel getting ready to take it over.

Last week, the head of the Transit Authority's engineering department and his deputy abruptly retired. Asked if their departure was related to problems with the tunnel, Mr. Gunn would say only, The weakness of the engineering department took its toll on this as well as other projects.

Mr. Gunn said the Transit Authority would evaluate the situation over the next 90 days and would have a better estimate then of the cost to fix the tunnel and when it might be open.

Before the tunnel can open, he said, the authority will have to conduct tests to verify the thickness of the concrete walls. The authority will also have to evaluate the seriousness of cracks in the walls and test the chemical composition of stalactites that have developed in the tunnel.

Mr. Gunn said consultants would probably be hired to do much of the testing.

He also said consultants would be hired to inspect a critical beam, under York Avenue, that had been modified in an unorthodox way. The work was done by a contractor, the Schiavone Construction Company of Secaucus, N.J.

Mr. Kiley said it was unclear where the M.T.A. would get the money for repairs. So far, the project has been financed by Federal, state and city grants.

The tunnel extends the BMT and IND lines from about 57th Street in Manhattan across 63d Street to 21st Street in Long Island City, Queens. The project includes a station on Roosevelt Island.

Most aspects of the tunnel were designed and supervised by the Transit Authority, Mr. Kiley said. But more than two dozen contractors worked on the project over the years. He said that if contractors were found to be at fault, the M.T.A. would seek damages.

Part of '60's Plan

When the 63d Street tunnel was proposed in the 1960's, it was part of an ambitious plan to build almost a dozen new subway lines.

Construction on most of those lines never began, but the 63d Street line -deemed particularly important because the IND line was already strained - started in 1971.

The line was supposed to stretch from Manhattan to the far reaches of Queens, and construction began on the Queens end in 1972.

Mr. Gunn said yesterday that there would also be a delay in the opening of the Queens part of the construction -the Archer Avenue line - because of water and corrosion problems. But those problems, he said, are non-problems compared with the 63d Street tunnel. The Archer Avenue line was scheduled to open in 1986.

Construction of the 63d Street tunnel slowed sharply in the mid-70's with the advent of the city's fiscal crisis. In 1978, Mayor Koch asked the M.T.A to reconsider the scope of the project.

Last fall, the M.T.A. board decided not to go ahead with the orginal plan, but to adopt a cheaper option that would connect the track to the GG line. Since then, the M.T.A. has said it will reconsider this plan too as part of an overall assessment of the city's mass-transit system.

U.S. HOLDS UP AID FOR SUBWAY WORK By JEFFREY SCHMALZ (NYT) 908 words Published: August 18, 1985

The Federal Government has suspended payment of $44 million for a subway project in Queens, citing concerns with the construction management practices of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The decision was based on an inspector's report that 48,000 cubic yards of concrete had been paid for with no evidence of its ever having been delivered, according to Alfred A. DelliBovi, deputy administrator of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, which sent a letter to the M.T.A. on Friday notifying it of the cutoff.

Mr. DelliBovi also cited findings of deficiency in the pouring and inspection of concrete at the project - a new subway tunnel in Jamaica, Queens, that would run beneath Archer Avenue and would link up with the existing Jamaica elevated and Queens Boulevard lines.

A Second Suspension

The suspension of Federal funds was the second in less than a month for an M.T.A. construction project. On July 22, the Government announced that it was withholding $31 million for completion of the 63d Street subway tunnel, which had also been found to have deficiencies in its concrete, as well as other flaws, including leaks.

Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato said in an interview yesterday that he had called on the Federal Government to suspend funds for the Archer Avenue project, just as he had done with the 63d Street tunnel.

There are serious questions about the construction and supervision of this project, the Senator said. Until independent engineering reviews are conducted, I told officials that they should hold up the funds remaining.

I want to make sure these projects continue, Mr. D'Amato added. ''But the M.T.A. has projects in disarray. They need better management. There are plenty of critics who would like to cut off all money, and if we don't get these projects cleaned up, it gives people like that an excuse.''

Officials of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration said they would consider restoring Federal funds to both the 63d Street and Archer Avenue projects after an independent consultant hired by the M.T.A. completed studies on the structural integrity of the tunnels. The study is expected to take three months. Asked if there was the possibility of criminal wrongdoing in the Archer Avenue project, Mr. DelliBovi responded: I would say that if there is an unsatisfactory explanation as to why there is this discrepancy between the amount of concrete charged to the project and the amount delivered, I would imagine this would be referred to some law-enforcement agency.

Arthur G. Perfall, a spokesman for the M.T.A., said the agency had not received the letter from the Urban Mass Transit Administration, which was signed by Ralph L. Stanley, its administrator, and therefore could not give a full response.

We don't know if it's a problem with the record-keeping or what, Mr. Perfall said, and nobody else does at this point either.

He said the M.T.A. had informed the Federal Government a few months ago that Archer Avenue appeared to have some of the same problems as 63d Street as far as leakage and record-keeping.

And he added that the M.T.A. had already asked Construction Technology Laboratories, a private engineering consulting firm based in Skokie, Ill., to conduct the independent study of both projects.

Asked if the Federal suspension of aid meant all work would come to a halt, Mr. Perfall said: ''There's obviously going to be some sort of delay, but not just because of the funding. We don't want any work to go on ourselves until we know what is going on.''

Several concrete suppliers were used for the tunnel sections cited in the inspector's report, Mr. Perfall said, adding that he was unable yesterday to supply their names.

Both the 63d Street and Archer Avenue tunnels are years behind schedule - they were begun in the early 1970's with completion originally scheduled for the mid-70's - and are in the final stages of construction. A total of more than $1 billion has been spent on both of them. Of that amount, the M.T.A. said the Federal Government had provided $530 million for the 63d Street tunnel and $295 million for the Archer Avenue line.

The 63d Street tunnel runs under the East River, linking Manhattan and Queens. The Archer Avenue project, in eastern Queens, has involved removing a portion of the Jamaica Avenue elevated line, between 165th and 127th Streets. It replaces the elevated with a two-level subway line along Archer Avenue, with a station at Sutphin Boulevard and a terminal station at Parsons Boulevard.

In his report, the Federal inspector said the M.T.A. could not document that concrete was being inspected adequately in either project. The American Society for Testing and Materials recommends testing it every 150 cubic yards. But the inspector said documents showed it was being tested every 296 cubic yards in the 63d Street tunnel and every 1,455 cubic yards in the Archer Avenue tunnel.

The report also found that, although industry standards require each class of concrete to be tested every day concrete is delivered, there there was no documentation to prove that had been done on the Archer Avenue project.

Earlier this month, Michael C. Asner, the Transit Authority's chief engineer, acknowledged: ''We've been concerned all along about the lack of documentation on these jobs. That in itself does not prove there is a problem, but we have to take a close look.''

A little light appeared at the end of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 63d Street tunnel to nowhere last week. The Federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration, declaring itself satisfied with solutions to construction problems that had delayed completion of both the East River tunnel connecting Queens and Manhattan and the Archer Avenue line in eastern Queens, released $60 million to help complete both subway projects.

Conceived in the 1960's as part of an ambitious subway expansion plan that was all but abandoned during the fiscal famine of the 1970's, the two projects were designed to help ease congestion on the Queens Boulevard subway lines, among New York City's most crowded.

Robert R. Kiley, the chairman of the M.T.A., said the authority now hopes to open the 1.8-mile Archer Avenue route with three new stations - the city's first in 20 years -by December 1988 and the 63d Street tunnel and three more stations by October 1989. The Archer Avenue stations will be Jamaica-Van Wyck, Sutphin Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard; the 63d Street line will connect Lexington Avenue, Roosevelt Island and Long Island City.

M.T.A. PROPOSES OPENING 63D STREET TUNNEL IN '89

By RICHARD LEVINE (NYT) 1169 words Published: February 7, 1987

LEAD: A plan to open the 63d Street subway tunnel and three new stations by October 1989 was approved yesterday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. A plan to open the 63d Street subway tunnel and three new stations by October 1989 was approved yesterday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The M.T.A. hopes that by opening the tunnel it will eventually be able to greatly increase service along Queens Boulevard, among the most crowded routes in New York City.

To carry out the plan, the M.T.A. is counting on $75 million in Federal funds that had been withheld because of questions about the quality of construction. However, the M.T.A. intends to spend $41 million for new and corrective work, and it expects that, in reviewing the project once more, the Government will release the funds.

The proposal, which David L. Gunn, president of the Transit Authority subsidiary of the M.T.A., described as the major new subway initiative for the coming decade, also calls for opening the Archer Avenue subway line and three more new stations in eastern Queens by December 1988. Mr. Gunn said that the unfinished Second Avenue subway line in Manhattan would be preserved, although there were no active plans to put it in service.

Even as the M.T.A. plans to open the tunnel, the city's Transportation Department announced that it would close two of four lanes on the upper roadway of the Queensboro Bridge until late 1989 for reconstruction work, compounding an already serious traffic problem on the East Side. [ Page 31. ] The three-mile tunnel under the East River, which has been plagued with problems during its 16 years of construction, was supposed to be the start of a new subway line serving eastern Queens. But it eventually became known as the tunnel to nowhere when plans for the line were scrapped and the tunnel was truncated at 21st Street in Long Island City.

The plan adopted yesterday, however, envisions a connection between the tunnel and the nearby Queens Boulevard subway lines just east of the Queens Plaza station. It also foresees the conversion of two of the four one-way tracks along that route into two-way tracks through the use of reverse signals.

That would enable three tracks to carry westbound trains in the morning and eastbound trains in the evening, in effect creating a new express line -the V train - and increasing capacity by 30 extra trains, or 53,000 people, during the morning rush.

It will give you room to breathe, Mr. Gunn said. According to a Transportation Authority study last year, the E and F trains that run along Queens Boulevard carry the greatest volume of passengers in the subway system -56,521 riders during the peak hour on a typical weekday morning. These trains operate at well above what the authority considers the tolerable crowding level.

The 63d Street tunnel and the Second Avenue and the Archer Avenue lines were all part of an ambitious master plan for a dozen new subway routes envisioned in the the late 1960's. Most of the projects fell victim to the fiscal travails of the 1970's, but not before more than $1.3 billion was spent or committed for construction.

The long-delayed tunnel was scheduled to open early last year. But in June 1985, after serious construction flaws and substantial leaks were found, the Federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration suspended $31 million in funds for the project's completion. Two months later, the Reagan Administration froze $44 million in funds for the Archer Avenue line because of questions about its construction.

The Transit Authority has hired two contractors to assess the safety, durability and design of the tunnels and the equipment. And their studies indicated that the tunnels - 63d Street and Archer Avenue - were designed properly and that most equipment was in good condition. Based on these studies and the authority's own investigation, it intends to spend $41.3 million for new and corrective construction to prepare the projects to be opened. This amount is above and beyond the $75 million Federal outlay that transit officials say they expect to have restored.

According to Alfred A. DelliBovi, the deputy administrator, the Federal agency has hired its own consultant to study the Transit Authority's plan for remedial work for the two projects. My guess is it will take a couple of months by the time we can get an answer, he said.

Construction of the Queens Boulevard connection and reverse-signaling project, which would not begin until the 1990's at the earliest, would cost at least another $550 million - about half of which would go for a new tunnel about 1,500 yards long to link the lines and half for a new storage yard and maintenance barn, possibly in Sunnyside, Queens - plus perhaps hundreds of millions more to buy the land required and new cars to run on the line.

Robert R. Kiley, chairman of the M.T.A., acknowledged that an investment of such magnitude would likely present a problem. But, he said, the cost of building an entirely new subway line that would accomplish the same task would be 10 times as great.

We're going to take a good, hard look at that, said Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato, Republican of New York, of the proposed Queens Boulevard connection. Nevertheless, Mr. D'Amato said he was hopeful the Federal funds would be restored for the 63d Street tunnel and Archer Avenue lines and that the sorry saga would be brought to an end.

When the Archer route opens in December 1988, officials hope the new stations - the first the authority has opened in 20 years - will syphon riders from the 169th Street station, where riders hoping to catch the E or F train sometimes have to wait just to stand on the platform. The officials say they will try to have buses from eastern Queens and Long Island rerouted to the stations, and they also want to lure riders to the J line, which the Archer extension will also feed.

The Transit Authority would also like to see express buses to Manhattan rerouted to the new 21st Street station when the 63d Street tunnel opens 10 months later. But many bus riders may resist the idea of trading an express bus for a bus-and-subway combination.

Mr. Gunn said, however, that scheduling trains in order to take maximum advantage of the new tunnel would require managerial precision. Trains will have to be where they have to be when they have to be there, he said.

New Money Gives 63d Street Tunnel Somewhere To Go By MARY CONNELLY AND CARLYLE C. DOUGLAS Published: June 28, 1987

A little light appeared at the end of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 63d Street tunnel to nowhere last week. The Federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration, declaring itself satisfied with solutions to construction problems that had delayed completion of both the East River tunnel connecting Queens and Manhattan and the Archer Avenue line in eastern Queens, released $60 million to help complete both subway projects.

Conceived in the 1960's as part of an ambitious subway expansion plan that was all but abandoned during the fiscal famine of the 1970's, the two projects were designed to help ease congestion on the Queens Boulevard subway lines, among New York City's most crowded.

Robert R. Kiley, the chairman of the M.T.A., said the authority now hopes to open the 1.8-mile Archer Avenue route with three new stations - the city's first in 20 years -by December 1988 and the 63d Street tunnel and three more stations by October 1989. The Archer Avenue stations will be Jamaica-Van Wyck, Sutphin Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard; the 63d Street line will connect Lexington Avenue, Roosevelt Island and Long Island City.

EDITORIAL DESK

The Worm and the Apple; Bus Stop Gains, Subway Claims; Overblown, Underground

(NYT) 280 words Published: December 19, 1988

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has exceeded acceptable limits of hyperbole in the way it hasheralded the opening of three subway stations in Queens and related and incidental route changes. The greatest number of service improvements since 1904, the M.T.A. bragged in posters and the papers. The changes are a mere freckle on 84 years of development and modernization.

The three new stations are concededly shiny, colorful and equipped with escalators and elevators. Still, these do little more than restore Jamaica service to the unsatisfactory level it achieved before the line was shortened 10 years ago.

The M.T.A. hopes that the new line will appeal to some riders with downtown Manhattan destinations who now crowd IND expresses roaring beneath Queens Boulevard. But riders who board the new Z line rush-hour skip-stop train at the newly opened Jamaica Center terminus with high hopes for a fast ride to downtown Manhattan are quickly disillusioned. Their shiny train rides the rickety old two-track Jamaica Avenue elevated line. For all its modern technology it can go no faster than the skip-stop local directly preceding it.

Formidable obstacles bar the way to improved commuter service from outer Queens. The difficulty in finding a justifiable, affordable use for the 63d Street Tunnel is a sobering example of the Authority's problems. What the M.T.A. has done with the Archer Avenue line may be the best it can do with the money at hand, but it is not much.

The M.T.A. warrants a worm not because there's money to do more but because the M.T.A. ought to know better than to try to puff up a very modest reality as a historic transformation.