New York City - Transit News

[Car(e)-Free LA]

Originally Posted by orulz

One thing I do like is that it folds PATH into the Subway. It shows the PATH - Lexington Ave Local (6) connection which was proposed by some groups after 9/11. That would be challenging to construct, but tremendously useful.

The PATH midtown line, however, retains its current 33rd street terminal. Likewise, The 7 line on that map is shown extended down its existing tail tracks to the vicinity of Chelsea Piers, but still ends with a stub-end terminal there.

Others have suggested extending the 7 into New Jersey with a new, dedicated tunnel under the Hudson. But how about just connecting the 7 to the PATH instead? Would that be the most direct route to NJ, well, not really... but I still think it would be useful, and a 3/4 mile connector to link the 7 line on 11th Ave to the PATH line on 6th Ave would be heck of a lot cheaper than a brand new tunnel to NJ.

It absolutely is doable to fold PATH into the subway, and it is incorporated into this map I made here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fN...RY&usp=sharing
Essentially, you have to build a new deep tunnel coming out of PATH at West Street, then passing below the existing PATH station to a new station under Vesey Street, then following Park Row and Centre Street to the Lexington Avenue Subway. This leaves the existing PATH station empty which leads me to the description of the map as a whole:
Essentially, this map proposes making PATH, LIRR, and NJT into a regional rail system like the RER in Paris or the S-Bahn in Germany in which all suburban trains concentrate onto several trunk lines that pass through the city to the lines on the other side, at least every 15 minutes all day long. This would create essentially an express express subway for city dwellers, and allow suburbanites to pass through the city, and simplify services. Essentially what I propose can be broken down into seven parts:
Part one: Amtrak
All Amtrak trains from New Jersey will pass through the new Gateway tunnels, then out to Long Island via the southern two East River tunnels.

Part two: Regional rail line A
All regional rail lines from Newark Broad Street Station will consolidate onto a new trunk line to Hoboken (a new transfer station would be constructed in Harrison to allow transfers to other lines). At Hoboken, trains would dive into a new tunnel passing through to the PATH station at WTC, vacated by the PATH-Lex construction. A new tunnel would continue southeast to Atlantic Station, where all trains would continue through to Jamaica, and continue onto all LIRR lines entering Jamaica from the northeast.

Part three: Regional rail line B
All trains entering Secaucus Junction from the northwest will continue to Hoboken. There, they will enter the Uptown Hudson PATH tubes, and follow the line to 33rd Street Station. A short, 0.8 mile long tunnel under 34th Street and Park Avenue will connect this line to the LIRR East Side Access tunnels, which the line will follow to Jamaica, fanning out to all LIRR lines entering Jamaica from the southeast, via St. Albans. The LIRR line from Rosedale to Jamaica via Laurelton will be turned into an extension of the E train subway.

Part four: Regional Rail line C
This would consist of all trains from Newark Penn Station passing through Penn Station in Manhattan, then through the northern two East River tunnels, and onto the LIRR Port Washington Branch

Part five: Path-Lex Subway
This would consist of the Newark-WTC PATH line (the only one that would remain) connecting through to the Lexington Avenue subway as described above.

Part six: Metro North
Metro North would stay as Metro North, at least in my proposal, for the sake of realism. If it were to ever be extended, I would expect it to go to Staten Island, either via Brooklyn or Jersey City, and then maybe to the West Trenton line and/or Raritan Valley line in New Jersey.

Part seven: Hudson Bergen Light Rail.
HBLR would remain as it is, except it would pass through a new tunnel entrances in Paulus Hook and Hoboken into the abandoned PATH tunnels through Newport. This would allow trains to pass through Jersey City faster.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fN...RY&usp=sharing

[M II A II R II K]

Port Authority approves $32 billion capital plan with funding for new tunnels and terminals

Read More: https://archpaper.com/2017/02/port-a...plan-approval/

After months of planning, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved a $32.2 billion capital plan, the largest in the agency’s history. The 10-year plan is bullish on public-private partnerships to support the costs of its projects at the region’s airports, bridges, tunnels, and terminals.

- This $11.6 billion segment allocates $4 billion for a LaGuardia Terminal B replacement and puts funds toward the revitalization of John F. Kennedy International Airport. In New Jersey, work will move forward at Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport.

- The agency is putting $2.7 billion towards debt service on to-be-borrowed money for a new and sorely needed trans-Hudson rail line between New York and New Jersey. In Jersey, the PATH’s older stations will be rebuilt, as well, and new infrastructure will enable PATH trains to run from Newark Penn Station (the current terminus) to Newark Liberty’s AirLink station. Additional dollars will support an AirTrain to LaGuardia, a sister link to the line that already serves JFK.

- Another $10 billion will go towards the Goethals Bridge replacement, the rebuilding of the Bayonne Bridge, renovations to the George Washington Bridge, and the planning and construction for the new Port Authority Bus Terminal. The capital plan puts $3.5 billion towards this item, but stakeholders are still discussing where, exactly, the new terminal should go. Proposals from a September design competition pegged the cost of a new terminal at $3 billion to $15 billion, so the agency’s allocation may be too low.

.....

[chris08876]

Gateway tunnel project maybe impeded by Trump's budget cuts

The Gateway tunnel project may be derailed by the funding cuts announced as part of President Donald Trump’s budget blueprint this week. The Gateway Project—a $20 billion plan to replace the tunnels below the Hudson River (and other infrastructural improvements) connecting New Jersey to Manhattan—is largely dependent on a grant program known as New Starts.

Under the budget cuts to the Department of Transportation—a 17 percent drop from the previous year, and the lowest transportation budget in 18 years, according to the New York Times, the New Starts grant would likely be eliminated, Politico reports.

From now on, this grant will likely be reserved for projects that already have an existing funding agreement in place. Just about a year ago, early work was ready to commence on the project with a $70 million cash infusion from Amtrak and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A few months prior to that, the project’s future looked promising, having been included as part of a $300 billion, five-year transportation bill.

All of that budget talk may now be upended with the latest cuts. The first order of duty was to replace the Portal Bridge, over the Hackensack River, which was supposed to get underway this year, but its future is now in doubt.

The cuts came as a surprise to those working on the Gateway Project, according to Politico, since Trump had placed an emphasis on infrastructural spending during his campaign. The White House budget director told reporters this week that a full fledged transportation initiative had yet to be presented, and that additional funding for projects like Gateway maybe included in that, according to Politico.

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CBNY

[chris08876]

MTA Hopes to Shorten L Train Shutdown to 15 Months

• Video Link

It’s been well over four years since Hurricane Sandy washed ashore in New York City and we’re still dealing with its aftermath. Still, there is some good news — relatively speaking. Next month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board is expected to approve a new contract that will shorten the amount of time without L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The agency made the announcement on Friday.

Sandy flooded the Canarsie Tunnel, which the L train travels through under the East River between the two boroughs. It is in dire need of repair. The MTA had two options: a three-year partial shutdown of service between boroughs or 18 months with no service at all west of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn. In 2016, the MTA decided on the 18-month total shutdown option. That decision came following a series of meetings where the public expressed its support for that option.

Now, the MTA is looking to add $15 million in incentives for a joint venture consisting of Judlau Contracting Inc. and TC Electric, to complete the work in less time. Work is slated to begin in April 2019. In the meantime, the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation are devising a plan to provide other transportation options to the line’s riders. There would be no subway service along 14th Street because the trains would have no way to access a maintenance yard, if the need arose.

“The heavy damage sustained by the Canarsie Tunnel during Superstorm Sandy requires a full reconstruction in order to ensure the integrity of the tunnel and the safety of riders for generations to come,” said MTA Interim Executive Director Ronnie Hakim. “At the same time, we promised to do everything possible to mitigate the impact of this vital work on l line riders, and today, we’ve done just that, by shortening the tunnel closure from 18 months to 15 months.”

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NYY

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by chris08876

MTA Hopes to Shorten L Train Shutdown to 15 Months

• Video Link


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NYY

Wow! Very interesting to this. I remember when the Hurricane Sandy got a badly damaged at L trains. Hopefully they will reopen again soon. Sadly you can't go to 14th St for a quite some time.

[mrsmartman]

Originally Posted by N830MH

Wow! Very interesting to this. I remember when the Hurricane Sandy got a badly damaged at L trains. Hopefully they will reopen again soon. Sadly you can't go to 14th St for a quite some time.

The term reconstruction is a bit exaggerated.

[BBMW]

Even 15 months is absurd.

I'm in NYC but not in the area affected by this shutdown. If I was, I'd be up in the faces of the local politicians to demand a detailed project plan from the MTA. I STRONGLY suspect that they could get this done in 6 months if they made a maximal effort, and used the best planning and contracting methodologies.

Originally Posted by chris08876

MTA Hopes to Shorten L Train Shutdown to 15 Months

• Video Link


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NYY

[yankeesfan1000]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Even 15 months is absurd.

I'm in NYC but not in the area affected by this shutdown. If I was, I'd be up in the faces of the local politicians to demand a detailed project plan from the MTA. I STRONGLY suspect that they could get this done in 6 months if they made a maximal effort, and used the best planning and contracting methodologies.

I'm sure the MTA could get this done in 6 months or so, but if they do it in a timely and efficient manner, the contractors and unions won't be able to milk the taxpayer/riders, like they did on the SAS.

The fact that they STILL don't have a real alternative for L Train commuters is absolutely absurd, and senior managers, and directors at the MTA need to lose their job and pensions over it. Of course, they never will. They'll have had close to five years to figure something out, and they're still talking about buses moving tens of thousands of people every morning and evening, over an already congested bridge.

The sheer level of incompetence, negligence, and blatant disregard for taxpayer and ridership money makes me either think the people who run this agency are literally the most incompetent people on the planet, or they're just genuinely not interested in a building and maintaining a modern and efficient mass transit system.

And we have another round of fare hikes to look forward to! Yay!

[chris08876]

Cuomo Plots Demise of Bronx’s Unloved Sheridan Expressway

More than 50 years ago, Robert Moses designed a freeway that sliced through the South Bronx, cutting many residents off from the riverfront. On Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York endorsed a plan to tear down that road, the Sheridan Expressway, and replace it with a tree-lined boulevard that could stitch the community back together.

Mr. Cuomo said he intended to include nearly $700 million in the state budget for the first phase of the project, which would involve the rare step of decommissioning the expressway, also known as Interstate 895. That would be the first significant funding of a plan that community activists and some local elected officials have championed for more than 15 years.

“This is transformative,” said Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president. “You cannot put any dollar figure on the amount of quality time that families are going to be able to spend along the river.”

He was referring to the Bronx River, which was once one of the most polluted waterways in the country. Now, Mr. Diaz said, the river not only supports fish again but is also home to beavers.

He said the Sheridan Expressway was among the “major fumbles and errors” of Mr. Moses, the highway-enamored city planner who designed the Cross Bronx Expressway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. “He was considered the great planner of his day, but he didn’t necessarily do it with consideration of the community,” Mr. Diaz said.

Mr. Moses originally intended the Sheridan, which is just over a mile long, to extend farther, plowing through the Bronx Zoo and connecting to the New England Thruway. But that plan failed to gain public support, leaving the Sheridan as an underused stub that links the Cross-Bronx to the Bruckner Expressway.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/n...sway.html?_r=1

[scalziand]

Too bad the NEC tracks are going to prevent a full opening up of the waterfront there.

[streetscaper]

MTA's $72M subway renovations will begin with three Brooklyn stations

...now the agency has announced that the first set of 30 subway stations to receive a facelift will be three stations along the R line in Brooklyn.

The Prospect Avenue, Bay Ridge Avenue, and 53rd Street trains stations on the R line will each close for a six-month period to receive “extensive renovations” as part of the MTA and Governor Cuomo’s $72 million Enhanced Station Initiative. Once the work is complete, each station will debut with new platform edges, LED lighting, granite floors, improved station signage, new stairs, increased security cameras and Help Points, as well as upgraded electrical and communications systems. Commuters will also get to enjoy electronic charging stations, new benches, and new station art.

Beginning March 27th, the 53rd Street Station will close for service in both directions; the Bay Ridge Avenue station is scheduled to close on April 29th for six months; and the Prospect Avenue station is scheduled to close on June 5th for six months.

Renovations for all [30] stations in the project are expected to be complete by 2020.

[mrsmartman]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Cuomo Plots Demise of Bronx’s Unloved Sheridan Expressway




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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/n...sway.html?_r=1

The removal of Sheridan Expressway will drive gentrification in South Bronx as pointed out in this article:

Not Everyone in the Bronx Hates the Sheridan Expressway

[mrsmartman]

Sources: MTA Capital Construction President Retiring

Originally Posted by NY1 News

NEW YORK - A critical figure at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hanging up his hard hat.

Sources tell NY1 that MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu is retiring.

He had been at the helm of the authority's construction wing since 2008 where he oversaw major expansion projects in the city's transit system including the Hudson Yards 7 train extension, the Second Avenue subway, and the Fulton Center station.

Before joining the MTA, the Romanian-born engineer had served as the city's Traffic Commissioner in the late 80s.

Video: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/...-retiring.html

[plutonicpanda]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Cuomo Plots Demise of Bronx’s Unloved Sheridan Expressway




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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/n...sway.html?_r=1

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen. That freeway needs to be rebuilt and preserved. It is a vital link for many commuters.

[mrnyc]

if rikers closes there will be a rare opportunity to expand laguardia:



Rikers Island jail closing could bring LaGuardia Airport expansion, report says

By Vincent Barone vin.barone@amny.com April 3, 2017





A newly released report recommending the closure of the Rikers Island jail facility endorses two plans for “re-imagining” the island, including an option for a LaGuardia Airport expansion.

Building an additional terminal and runway on the island could reduce the airport’s notorious delays and serve an additional 12 million more passengers annually — an increase of about 40 percent — according to the 148-page report published Sunday by the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform.

“Being next door to LaGuardia presents a rare opportunity to improve operations at one of the nation’s most challenged airports and to meet the region’s need for additional flight capacity,” reads the report, titled “A More Just New York City.”


more:
http://www.amny.com/transit/rikers-i...ays-1.13353334

[mrsmartman]

Originally Posted by plutonicpanda

Fingers crossed that doesn't happen. That freeway needs to be rebuilt and preserved. It is a vital link for many commuters.

This is what Sheridan Expressway could be.



Large Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanshn...n/21259565925/

Read More: http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_in...-robert-moses/

[K 22]

Originally Posted by mrsmartman

This is what Sheridan Expressway could be.



Large Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanshn...n/21259565925/

Read More: http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_in...-robert-moses/

So the 5 train would have run on a median in this one, then?

The highway along 233rd Street is just overkill, IMO.

[chris08876]

That LaGuardia expansion vision in post #1675 looks fantastic, but dear lord how expensive that would be and the time. Actually, not even the time if they move on it, but the cost would be astronomical.

LaGuardia is vastly overdue for a big expansion. Newark Airport as well along with a major renovation.

[Busy Bee]

Good things take time... and money.

I still like the RethinkNYC plan better.

[Car(e)-Free LA]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

if rikers closes there will be a rare opportunity to expand laguardia:



Rikers Island jail closing could bring LaGuardia Airport expansion, report says

By Vincent Barone vin.barone@amny.com April 3, 2017





A newly released report recommending the closure of the Rikers Island jail facility endorses two plans for “re-imagining” the island, including an option for a LaGuardia Airport expansion.

Building an additional terminal and runway on the island could reduce the airport’s notorious delays and serve an additional 12 million more passengers annually — an increase of about 40 percent — according to the 148-page report published Sunday by the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform.

“Being next door to LaGuardia presents a rare opportunity to improve operations at one of the nation’s most challenged airports and to meet the region’s need for additional flight capacity,” reads the report, titled “A More Just New York City.”


more:
http://www.amny.com/transit/rikers-i...ays-1.13353334

This is a bad idea for several reasons:

First off, LGA has a low share of total traffic in proportion to the number of planes that use it. This airspace congestion reduces capacity at EWR and JFK. Indeed, a compelling case to close and redevelop LGA can be made, because the lost capacity can be made up for by more efficient operations at EWR and JFK because of simpler aircraft movements, larger planes, high speed rail for regional planes, and expansion of JFK and EWR.

LGA sits on some very valuable real estate, and developing it could benefit new York, making it richer and less expensive overall while also improving LGA-adjacent neighborhoods.

Finally, spreading air traffic over multiple airports leads to lower efficiency, since less connections are available, which often are necessary to sustain certain flights. Concentrating all Star Alliance traffic at EWR and all Sky Team/One World traffic at JFK would result in better flight options for both New Yorkers and people making connections.