 In 1964 , Congress passed the Urban Mass Transportation Act , promising federal money to fund mass transit projects in America 's cities via the Urban Mass Transportation Administration ( UMTA ) . Three years later , voters approved a $ 2 @.@ 5 billion ( worth about $ 17 @,@ 742 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 in current dollars ) Transportation Bond Issue , which provided over $ 600 million ( worth $ 4 @,@ 258 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 today ) for New York City projects , including for a 1968 Program for Action . The Second Avenue project , for a line from 34th Street to the Bronx , was given top priority . The City secured a $ 25 million UMTA grant for initial construction . 
