NY, NJ To Get $3.3B In Federal Funds For Sandy-Related Transit Improvements

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York and New Jersey will receive another $3.3 billion from the federal government to make transit service stronger in response to Superstorm Sandy.

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said it's the last big chunk of Sandy funds that the federal Transportation Department has to dole out, WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported.

"The projects we're funding aren't exactly what you call glamorous projects. Many of them will be invisible to many riders," explained Foxx.

Listen to NY, NJ To Get $3.3B In Federal Funds For Sandy-Related Transit Improvements

Projects like ceiling street-level openings so water can't get into the downtown subway stations, Silverman reported.

Other projects, however, you will notice and even ride on: "Two new, cleaner, more maneuverable Staten Island ferry boats," said city Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

Trottenberg said the ferries should be in the water by 2019.

Foxx said when Sandy hit, 40 percent of the country's mass transit was suspended.

"If another unfortunate event like Hurricane Sandy comes our way again, this area will be an example of how to do it right," he said.

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