By Jon Schuppe and Serena Solomon
DNAinfo Reporters/Producers
MANHATTAN — The stalled project to convert Manhattan's main post office into a new rail hub is getting an $83.3 million infusion of federal stimulus money.
The federal money is the final piece of funding needed to complete phase one of the grand project that was promised to New Yorkers over 15 years ago. The influx of money comes at a crucial time with the potential to provide New Yorkers with thousands of jobs and breathe new life into the city's sluggish economy.
"The best way to get New York's economy moving again is to keep building and the best project to get things started is Moynihan Station," said Sen. Chuck Schumer on Tuesday. He labeled the project as "shovel ready" and said construction could start in a matter of months.
This latest grant will be added to the $140 million in federal and MTA capital already designated to complete phase one of the two-phase project, Schumer said.
Phase one will include the building of rail infrastructure, as well as improvements to waiting areas within the existing Pennsylvania Station. It will also be used to create multiple entry points for the old and future stations.
"We are very pleased this critical project is finally getting underway, after years of delay," said Bob Yaro, president of the Regional Plan Association, which is part of the Friends of Moynihan Station group.
Yaro believes the project will increase the capacity of the regional rail system and redevelop New York's far west side.
Phase two of the project will focus on renovating the James A. Farley Post Office building. While funding for phase two has yet to be finalized, Sen. Schumer said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have agreed to use their capital to complete the project.
Moynihan Station was a dream of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He had hoped to recreate the grandeur of the old Pennsylvania Station, which was torn down in 1963.
Moyinihan, who used to sell newspapers at the old Penn Station as a youth, spent over a decade pushing for a new, grander transportion hub. Sen. Schumer and former Gov. George Pataki proposed renaming the project after Moynihan after his death in 2003.
"He (Moynihan) said 'Why can't New Yorkers think grand anymore when it comes to architecture,'" said Sen. Schumer, who's taken Moynihan's place as the driving political force behind the project. "This is grand."
