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Second Avenue Subway Receives 'B+' Grade From Carolyn Maloney

 U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney's fourth "report card" on Second Avenue Subway progress showed an overall B+ grade.
Second Avenue Subway Report Card
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UPPER EAST SIDE — U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney gave the Second Avenue Subway a passing grade on a recent construction progress "report card" — but still called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to come up with a plan to finally complete the massive project.

The Upper East Side congresswoman, who said he Metropolitan Transit Authority had made significant improvements as the Q-line expansion nears its halfway mark, gave the Second Avenue Subway a B+.

That's up from a B grade since the last assessment in 2011.

Maloney pointed to the completion of tunneling, the MTA's awarding 10 construction contracts and the building of station platforms for the high mark. The SAS's creation of 16,000 high-paying construction jobs factored into the grade, too, she said.

The project would alleviate overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue IRT line.

"There's a limit to how many people you can shove into a subway car," Maloney said at a Monday news conference.

Still, she warned that the MTA must look ahead to wrapping up the project by its 2016 deadline — so that it doesn't go on indefinitely.

"Moses was in the desert 40 years because he didn't have a plan," she said. "We want to make sure the MTA has a plan to complete this project."

Maloney said that some facets of the project had improved since 2011 — such as the MTA's communication with the public, which climbed to an A- from a B+. The SAS also did a better job of staying on time and on budget, which earned a jump in grades, respectively, from B- to B and from C+ to B.

Maloney said, however, that the MTA must do a better job with "mitigation of construction impact."

This area has hovered at a C- grade since her first project assessment in 2009 because complaints about rats, noise, dust and damage to small businesses have continued unabated, she said.

Maloney also gave a "gentleman's C" to progress on station entrances, because "virtually no work has been done here," she said in a statement.

The MTA said Maloney's report card shows that the agency is working to address these concerns.

"We appreciate Congresswoman Maloney’s steadfast support for this vital project that will transform Manhattan’s Upper East Side and improve service for hundreds of thousands of our customers," an MTA spokesman said in an e-mail to DNAinfo.com New York. 

"The Congresswoman’s report card acknowledges our successful and continuing efforts to help mitigate the impact of construction on residents and businesses and the progress made as we get closer to the completion of the Second Avenue Subway."