Boss Lho: We’re in ‘crisis’ of disrepair

Returning MTA Chairman Joe Lhota admitted Thursday that the problems plaguing the subway system have left it a total mess and need immediate attention.

“It’s a crisis, and I can’t help but want to find a way to fix this,” Lhota (inset) told The Post.

He also has a message to straphangers: He is one of you and he wants to fix the system for everyone’s sake. “I am a rider and I live with it day in and day out and I really want to get it fixed,” said Lhota, 62, who commutes from his Brooklyn Heights home and said his favorite subway lines are the 2 and 3. “I don’t want people to worry about if they’re going to get to work on time.”

Lhota, who served as MTA chief from October 2011 to December 2012, said even though he was originally reluctant to return, he felt compelled to help fix the lousy state of the system.

“Something is broken and it bothers me and I want to be a part of the solution,” he said. “My goal is to make the MTA and all of the agencies that are a part of it as effective and efficient as possible.”

He accepted the job on a parttime basis, taking a salary of only $1, while he also still works full time as senior vice president and chief of staff at NYU Langone Medical Center, but so far, he’s spending the majority of his time on MTA work.

Lhota said his first order of business will be to talk to workers on the front lines.

“Something has changed since I was there five years ago,” he said. “I want to talk to the people who fix the tracks and the switches and the drivers and see what’s different.”

He warned riders that there might be some pain in order to repair ancient equipment.

“It’s a hundred-plus-year-old system, and it requires tender, loving care,” said Lhota. “If there are some diversions, we’re going to have to think about using buses or others ways to get home or get to work.”