2nd. Ave. subway still not done

THE LAVISH New Year’s Eve countdown to the opening of the Second Ave. subway didn’t mean the project was ready.

After the midnight ride — a goal of Gov. Cuomo, who pushed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to open it by then — a total of 17,260 “discrepancies” in wrapping up the $4.5 billion project were found, according to reports to the Federal Transit Administration.

The incomplete work included station finishes and testing of the fire alarm, communications equipment and mechanical and electrical systems.

Months later, the MTA still has 7,264 “discrepancies” to address, according to the last FTA report in May.

With trains running, the outstanding work is estimated to be complete by Nov. 30. The MTA scored a certificate from an agency committee to open the stations. But the FTA report from Urban Engineers of New York, had a “concern that the (safety) certification process had been circumvented.” MTA officials brushed off the “discrepancies” as a “punch list” of leftover work, which had no effect on safety. “The stations on the new Second Avenue line are completely safe and they have been since the day they opened,” said MTA spokesman John McCarthy.