This is yet another example of the hurdles that major infrastructure projects that have to overcome. Residents affected by the Second Avenue Subway on the Upper East Side are complaining that dust coming from the construction sites is causing respiratory issues and that the underground work has caused structural issues for some buildings. The community is busy griping, even as they clamored for the construction.
The project had been in the works for 40 years, and is finally moving ahead for the first time in 30 years, and yet some people can't seem to realize that doing nothing is worse.
Doing nothing is not an option; and the short term discomfort from the construction will be more than made up once the construction is completed on the latest segment.
There are also questions over why ventilation buildings are necessary, and that they are somehow ugly. The new subway will have climate control; something missing from nearly every other station in the NYC subway system. The ventilation buildings will eliminate the need for grates on the sidewalks, which allow water to pour in, particularly during flooding rains. It's a small price to pay for a more reliable and comfortable system.
And yet, people gripe about that too.
It's little wonder that the nation is incapable of building major infrastructure projects that would improve communications, transportation, and improve efficiencies, particularly in densely populated urban areas.
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