MESSAGE
DATE | 2009-01-19 |
FROM | Michael L Richardson
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SUBJECT | Re: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Things we don't need
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We need both. Whatever happened to connecting Brooklyn to the mainland by rail? Does the Port Authority think we will disband them when they do that?
Ruben Safir wrote: > We don't NEED this. We do NEED a SECOND AVENUE SUBWAY. > > Do New Yorkers EVER have a say as to what happens to our City? > > > > Ruben > > 2nd Hudson Rail Tunnel Clears Key Federal Hurdle > > * Sign In to E-Mail or Save This > * Print > * Reprints > * Share > o Linkedin > o Digg > o Facebook > o Mixx > o Yahoo! Buzz > o Permalink > > Article Tools Sponsored By > By KEN BELSON > Published: January 14, 2009 > > The prospects for a second rail tunnel under the Hudson River to > Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan received a major boost on Wednesday > when federal authorities approved an environmental assessment for a $9 > billion tunnel planned by New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority. > > The agencies can now apply to get their final design accepted and lobby > the federal government for the remaining $3 billion needed to begin work > on the project, which is expected to be completed by 2017. If all goes > well, the agencies believe they will be able to break ground in the > summer. > > Known as Access to the Region’s Core, or ARC, the tunnel would double > the number of trains that can travel under the Hudson between New York > and New Jersey to 48 per hour, from 23 now. The extra train service is > expected to eliminate 22,000 automobile trips a day. > > The new service also would allow more New Jersey Transit riders to reach > New York without having to change trains in Newark or Secaucus. A second > tunnel would also relieve pressure on the century-old tunnel that New > Jersey Transit shares with Amtrak. The project’s six new tracks in > Manhattan, which would terminate beneath 34th Street, would also allow > commuters to connect underground to the subways and PATH trains at > Avenue of the Americas. > > With the approval on Wednesday by the Federal Transit Administration, > the Port Authority and New Jersey Transit are optimistic that they can > receive the remaining money they need from the federal government, > partly because President-elect Barack Obama has said he is committed to > spending billions of dollars on large infrastructure projects to revive > the economy. > > “The timing couldn’t be better, because the region could benefit from a > project like this,†said Anthony R. Coscia, the chairman of the Port > Authority of New York and New Jersey, which has contributed $3 billion > to the project. “In the near term, it will put a lot of people to work, > and in the long term, it will revolutionize how people get into the > city.†> > The project is expected to generate 6,000 jobs a year during > construction. An additional 44,000 jobs could be created because the > tunnel would provide easier access to New York City, according to New > Jersey Transit. > > “By putting boots on the pavement and shovels in the dirt, this project > will employ thousands of workers and help jump-start the economy,†said > Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey. > > Critics contend that the new six-track annex under 34th Street is too > deep and would be difficult for some people to escape during a fire. > They also say that passengers whose trains stop there would have to walk > an extra full block to get to Penn Station, where they would be able to > catch subways running on the West Side of Manhattan. > >
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