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Cross-harbor tunnel talk resurfaces - Ambitious project would carve out new freight link with New Jersey
Courier Life Publications, October 25, 2007
By Stephen Witt
Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, the proposed Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel beneath New York Harbor linking New Jersey to Bay Ridge is again on the table.
The city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the lead agency for the project, confirmed last week they will hand the reins of the project over to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA).
Likewise, the PA's Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel.
"Today's vote to transfer the Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel to the Port Authority is a major step forward for this important project," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler after the PA vote.
"The re-starting of the project is also an important first stage of Governor Spitzer's commitment to promote rail as an alternative to trucking and to change the way we move freight in the New York area—and I applaud him for that," he added.
Nadler, who has been touting the freight tunnel for years, maintains it will solve the massive truck congestion that plagues the outer boroughs as well as become an economic engine.
Previously, Nadler also argued a cross harbor tunnel could also be a strategic entrance/exit point in case of a terrorist attack.
The idea to construct a cross-harbor rail freight tunnel dates as far back as 1893 and was revived in 1903, the 1920's and in 1941.
However former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) revived the idea in June 2001 to search for alternative ways to get freight goods into New York City.
While the EDC completed a Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) in the Spring of 2005, the project stalled when Mayor Michael Bloomberg opposed the idea.
Despite both Bloomberg and former Governor George Pataki souring on the project, Nadler succeeded in getting a $100 million federal transportation allocation in 2005 to proceed with finishing the EIS and doing preliminary engineering and design work.
Than after releasing his PlaNYC, Bloomberg has recently expressed interest in revisiting the idea.
Both Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer are also in support of furthering the project.
The proposed tunnel would be built largely with federal funds and run from Jersey City under New York Harbor to about 10th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway in the Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights area.
The rail line would then continue through Bay Ridge, Borough Park and parts of Flatbush on to Maspeth, Queens, where cargo would be transferred to trucks for delivery into the city and to points north and east.
The proposed rail line would run adjacent to 19th Avenue from 65th Street all the way through Borough Park, crossing into Flatbush past Brooklyn College and into Queens.
Currently, the Long Island Railroad owns the rail line and it is administered by New York Atlantic Railways.
While the PA did not return calls at press time, their vote signifies the inter-state agency will move to complete the final EIS.
The DEIS found a Cross-Harbor Tunnel across New York Harbor from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Bayonne, New Jersey will remove one million trucks from New York roadways.
Currently many of these trucks cross into the New York City and Long Island area via the George Washington and Verrazano Bridges to deliver their goods and services.
The DEIS looked at several options including a one-track and two-track freight tunnel coming off the Lehigh Freight Mainline in New Jersey and connecting with the 65th Street Yard in Bay Ridge.
The DEIS studied another possibility that would have the freight line run through northern Staten Island before tunneling to Bay Ridge while the other would tunnel straight from Jersey City.
Ultimately the DEIS found the tunnel through Staten Island was not feasible and endorsed either a one-or two-track line.
The DEIS also found that a rail freight tunnel will lessen the region's dependency on trucks, and notes that it would be economically beneficial to New York as jobs are created when freight is diverted from truck to rail.
At the time when the DEIS was finalized, Nadler spokesperson Rob Gottheim said most of the freight would continue on to the intermodel terminal in Maspeth, but some could be backed up on one of the existing other tracks to the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT).
Gottheim said this may also pave the way for another container port in Bay Ridge. The only active container port in Brooklyn is in Red Hook.
Gottheim said the cost of building the tunnel would be between $1.8 billion and $3 billion depending on whether a single track or double track tunnel is built.
There will be another 2009 reauthorization transportation bill where more federal money can be allocated, he said.
In the meantime, Nadler's pet project is back on track.
"I am confident that now that the Port Authority has taken the reins, we will see quick progress and soon complete the work that needs to be done to make this tunnel a reality," he said.
© Courier-Life Publications 2007
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