Notable Projects and Programs to Keep an Eye on in 2025

There are several important projects and programs set to transform New York City that are in different phases of progress but worthy of keeping an eye on this year.

Congestion Pricing program which launched during the first week of January is expected to generate about $1 billion in annual toll revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a figure that might be lower due to the current reduced daytime toll fee of $9 versus $15 for cars entering Manhattan below 60th Street. It is important that the MTA spends the additional revenue cost-effectively so that people using the agency’s transportation system see improvements and those people opting to drive and pay the toll benefit from less congestion on the roads. It will likely take several months before the necessary statistics to reveal the impact on Manhattan can be compiled.

Penn Station overhaul continues to remain in limbo, changing proposals over the last few years to redevelop that major Midtown transportation hub have yet to move forward. The MTA wants “Penn Station’s renovations to be part of the authority’s proposed capital plan for 2025 through 2029,” it is reliant upon securing approvals on a new bid for federal funds.

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) revamp remains stalled despite the much-needed overhaul of a crumbling section along of the triple-cantilever structure beneath the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Even if local officials come to an agreement on one of the city’s three current proposals, something that has yet to succeed since 2019, the plan will require both state and federal approvals and funding.

Local Law 97 enforcement begins this year. The climate law requires most New York City buildings over 25,000 square feet to reduce carbon emissions by complying with aggressive mandates for 40% reductions by calendar year 2030, and then every five years until 2050, when 80% reductions are expected to be achieved. Building owners that fail to achieve the carbon cap will “face fines of $268 for every ton of carbon dioxide over the limit.” The city administration has been pushing to bolster the team of staffers responsible to review the reports showing emissions data that building owners are required to submit by May 2025.

Downstate Casino bid applications are due June 27, 2025, with the selection of the winning bid to be made by New York State’s four-member Gaming Facility Board and licenses awarded by December 31, 2025. In 2021, state lawmakers decided to accelerate the licensing process for three downstate casinos, which opened the door starting January 2022 for the acceptance of bids by developers seeking to run New York City’s first full-service casino.

Renewable Energy Development heads into 2025 with uncertainty. Already, economic conditions have led to the cancelation of some high-profile offshore wind projects by New York State, and a second term by the Trump administration has cast some concerns for continued future growth within the sector since reportedly the President’s “first administration slashed spending for climate-oriented federal agencies and the local initiatives they helped fund.”

Source:    https://www.crainsnewyork.com/transportation/six-nyc-transit-climate-projects-watch-2025