City Council Approves $2.4 Billion Transit Overhaul in Late-Night Vote
By Marcus Delgado · August 13, 2026 · 2 min read · Edited by Rebecca Okafor-Lindt
The City Council voted 38–11 just before midnight Thursday to approve a $2.4 billion transit overhaul, capping eight months of hearings that drew more public comment than any transportation measure in a decade.
The package funds 41 miles of new bus-only lanes across four boroughs, a signal modernization pilot along the Queens Boulevard corridor, and three new ferry landings — the first added to the system since 2021. Roughly $610 million is earmarked for accessibility upgrades at 28 subway stations.
"This is the first capital plan that starts with the bus network instead of ending with it," said Councilmember Rosa Imperiale, who shepherded the bill through committee. "The outer boroughs carried this vote."
Opponents cited the price tag and a phased rollout that leaves most construction past 2028. "We're signing a check our successors will have to cash," said Councilmember Frank Dooley, one of the 11 no votes.
The first visible work — repainted lanes and signal retiming on Woodhaven Boulevard — is expected within 90 days, according to the Department of Transportation. The agency said it will publish a public dashboard tracking each project milestone starting in October.
Last updated September 1, 2026. Reporting by Marcus Delgado. Corrections: newsroom@nywebtimes.com.
Conversation (5)
Not sure I buy every claim in here, but at least someone is asking the questions. The metro beat has been asleep everywhere else.
Printed this out for my dad. He doesn't do websites. He called me about metro twenty minutes later.
My neighbor clipped this out of the paper edition and brought it over. That tells you something about how metro lands with regular folks.
Longtime reader, first time commenting. This one got me. metro affects my street directly.
Finally a paper willing to put metro in plain language. Shared it with my brother, he never reads anything and he read this one.