UPPER EAST SIDE — A crosstown bus stop that would offer a convenient link to the new Second Avenue Subway has yet to be restored despite the city's promise to return it once construction of the line was done.
MTA officials told members of Community Board 8 on Jan. 4 that all the bus stops that were moved during Second Avenue Subway construction would be restored in two to three weeks, but more than a month after the deadline, the east- and westbound M86 bus stops at Second Avenue and East 86th Street are still out of service.
The bus stop, which runs as Select Bus Service and requires off-board ticketing, would've been a convenient way to cross avenues to get to the new subway line, according to residents, who say they're baffled by the delay.
"Logistically, this makes no sense and given the time and massive expenditure, it is ridiculous," Upper East Side resident Tim Bauer said.
"When connecting from the bus to the Q, we must walk all the way from Third Avenue and then cross a notoriously dangerous intersection," said Bauer, referring to the corner of East 86th and Third. There have been 92 pedestrian injuries at the intersection since 2009, according to city data.
"I have a baby and toddler that together with all their things need to be transported to the subway."
MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said on Monday morning that the agency was working to have the stop in place "very soon," but was waiting on Con Edison to provide power to the site.
"We are currently working with Con Ed regarding power issues as they relate to installing Ticket Vending Machines and that’s the hold up," he said.
But Con Ed spokesman Allan Drury said there were no pending requests from the city for the location. Ortiz later backtracked, explaining on Tuesday that Con Ed had actually already resolved the power issue on their side. He could not provide a timeline for when MTA would restore the bus stop.
In the meantime, residents who have a hard time walking, including one Upper East Side resident who did not want to be named, are especially feeling the effects, she said.
"Having to walk to First or Third avenues [to catch a bus] is outrageous," she said. "I don't have to tell you how long it takes to cross those avenues. There has to be a bus. It is ludicrous."
