While the MTA, politicians and the public battle the fare increase out, the transit authority is busy in other areas. One project involves creating underground reservoirs where flood waters on the tracks can go after being pumped, alleviating rain delays that are more on schedule than the MTA can hope their subway trains can ever be. In other, lighter news, the MTA is calling all artists for their new subway stations on the to-be-completed 2nd Ave. subway.
From The NY Post:
The massive public-art commissions for the 96th, 86th, 72nd, and 63rd street stations are expected to attract artists from across the country, officials told The Post.
"We're looking for work that melds with the architecture and with the community of the new stations," said Sandra Bloodworth, director of MTA Arts for Transit.
The new stations will be much brighter and sleeker than those in the rest of the system, and the works, which will cover as much as 2,200 square feet of wall space at each station, should reflect that, said project manager Lester Burg.
The four commissioned "pieces" will cost up to $4 million for the four stations and artists have until December 21st to submit their designs. The applications should be interesting to see and review, perhaps the MTA might let the public in on the decision-making process, possibly with more say than they allow for the fare increases. Time will tell if New York's brand new stops will come close to the unique designs that Los Angeles installed in their one subway line.
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