Today, in a letter to Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY), chairman of the Committee on Transportation, and Martin Sabo, the committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Jerrold Nadler joined several of his New York colleagues in reiterating a call for new start funding for the Second Avenue Subway project in Manhattan. Rep. Nadler sent a signed a similar letter earlier this month.

"This worthy project will ease overcrowding on the Lexington Avenue line, which is one of the most crowded subway lines in the nation," the letter read.  "At present, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is working feverishly to complete a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the project.  We are hopeful that when the SEIS is complete that the MTA can then perform preliminary engineering for a new subway line that runs the full length of Manhattan's East Side."  Such a line would run through Rep. Nadler’s district that includes Downtown Manhattan.

Last year the Second Avenue subway received a $3 million earmark in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. Although many regional projects will be clamoring for a piece of limited transportation funds, Rep. Nadler said that few of the other projects would be able to match the benefits that a Second Avenue subway would provide to New Yorkers.

Rep. Nadler has served in Congress since 1992.  He represents the 8th Congressional District of New York, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

He is the only Member from New York City on the Transportation Committee.