NEW YORK (AP) Gov. George Pataki has sent a letter to federal officials outlining a $5-billion plan to upgrade transportation in lower Manhattan, a published report said.

The proposal calls for above-ground hubs at the World Trade Center Site and at the Fulton Street subway stations and a rebuilt terminal at South Ferry, on the tip of Manhattan, The New York Times recently reported.

Pataki’s $5.15-billion plan also says that construction should begin next year and continue through 2009.

So far, only $4.55 billion in federal money has been made available for transportation developments in Lower Manhattan. The proposal did not say how Pataki planned to finance the shortfall.

In the letter, Pataki said that $2 billion would be allocated for the transportation hub at the trade center site, $750 million would be spent on a Fulton Street Transit Center and $400 million would go for a new terminal at South Ferry. Another $1.7 billion to $2 billion would be allocated for various other assorted transportation projects.

The letter does not offer specific plans for airport access services, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg has advocated, or propose establishing new commuter connections that some business leaders have said were essential to reviving lower Manhattan.

Nevertheless, some officials applauded the governor’s plan. Sen. Charles Schumer told the Times that Pataki “is focusing on the big proposals that are most needed to make downtown a transportation center.”