If there's one thing New Yorkers hate but are constantly beset by, it's traffic.  Traffic is a way of life, here. 

And on a national scale, political gridlocks have been the bane of getting anything done for what seems like always.

No surprise, relations between the Mayor's office and the State Capitol have been tense over funding the MTA's capital plan that weighs in at a stunning $26.8 billion.

Until recently, the plan was under-funded by about $10 billion, while Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo essentially bickered about the City contributing more to the plan and the necessity of transparency regarding those funds' terminus. 

With all of that behind us, New York City has pledged $2.5 billion, the State will put in $8 billion, and the MTA will be responsible for the remaining $700 MM. 

The news marks a little sigh of relief, as our subway system is in dire need of a facelift. 

A recent study called "Beneath the District," commissioned by New York Senator Daniel Squadron, shows just how much the subways in his 26th District alone have deteriorated, and what needs to be done to fix them.

[anad]

So yeah, the MTA's announcement couldn't have come at a better time.

Being that the 2nd Avenue Subway is apparently forever a work in progress and the majority of subways in Lower Manhattan and East Brooklyn are proven to be falling apart in one way or another; we absolutely needed this glimmer of hope that the subway situation will improve. One day. Eventually. We hope. 

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Much like how the stock market works, the character of our subway experiences can be greatly affected by speculation of smoother and better subway experiences of the future.

Details of how all these tens of billions of dollars will be spent are coming in slowly, but the plan clearly allocates $1 billion for new busses, $1.5 billion for the 2nd Avenue Subway project, $2.8 billion for new subway cars, and $3 billion to repair subway stations.

So here's to hoping this all gets done in our lifetime, amrite?!

Stand Clear of the Crumbling Walls, Please: What Are the Worst Subway Stations in NYC?

[Feature Image Courtesy Capital New York]