I’m Clayton Guse, and I oversee Gothamist and WNYC’s coverage of the city’s mass transit system and public infrastructure networks. It’s my job to ensure our team holds public officials to account when New Yorkers are failed by the built environment that makes the city possible.
Over the last year, Gothamist and WNYC published a series that gave our audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at the aging equipment and decaying infrastructure that imperils subway commutes for millions every day. We were the first to report significant updates in the MTA’s controversial congestion pricing program, including the federal government accidentally publishing their internal legal strategy to kill the tolls. And we’ve done in-depth reporting on the future of the long-stalled Second Avenue subway extension into East Harlem with a focus on talking directly to residents who are set to be displaced by the construction.
The reporting helped shine a light on the management of billions in taxpayer dollars. The MTA’s capital plan that aims to fix the aging infrastructure we highlighted is estimated to cost $65 billion. Congestion pricing is bringing in $500 million a year from drivers. And the Second Avenue subway extension is slated to cost $7.7 billion, making it one of the world’s most expensive new train lines ever built on a per-mile basis.
None of this work would be possible without readers and donors who help fund the Gothamist and WNYC newsroom. Now is a great time to support our work because an anonymous donor is matching all donations, up to $50,000, made before the end of the year.
Earlier this year, Congress eliminated federal funding for public media outlets like Gothamist. For WNYC and Gothamist, this meant we lost nearly $3 million in annual funding. With your year-end donation today, you will help ensure we can not only continue this type of relentless work — but to expand our efforts moving into 2026
Clayton Guse Editor, Transportation and Infrastructure
