Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio Reach Agreement on $26 Billion MTA Capital Program

Improvements and repairs of the MTA infrastructure will be funded for the next five years under a deal announced Saturday by Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The $26.1 billion agreement will support the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's capital spending program for New York City-area mass transit.

In recent weeks funding the program became the latest example of open discord between Cuomo and De Blasio. They disagreed over how much the city would contribute.

Late this week, city officials upped their offer to $2.5 billion on the condition that the state not tap into the capital fund for other uses.

The state agreed and is contributing $8.3 billion.

"This MTA Capital Plan is what we need to make the system smarter and more resilient, facilitating major upgrades, expansions and building crucial pieces of equipment so that riders are not forced to accept the failures of outdated infrastructure," said Governor Cuomo in a joint press release.

"Our transit system is the backbone of New York City's, and our entire region's, economy. That is why we're making an historic investment – the City's largest ever general capital contribution – while ensuring that NYC dollars stay in NYC transit, and giving NYC riders and taxpayers a stronger voice," said Mayor de Blasio.

The Straphangers Campaign released a statement applauding the deal.

"The single most important thing a governor or mayor can do for city buses and subways is to win a fully-funded rebuilding program," the statement read. "New York's future is riding on it."

The deal should prevent further delays to ongoing capital projects, including the construction of the Second Avenue subway line.