- NYS DOT: Big Plans for Staten Island Highways -
In the NYC TIP, NY State DOT envisions moving its Staten Island Expressway project into the environmental impact statement (EIS) stage in mid-2000. The EIS will presumably build on the SIE major investment study still going on. However, while the investment study looked only at the SIE, the EIS will cover the West Shore Expressway as well. The West Shore inclusion in the EIS strongly suggests DOT is looking primarily at a major highway expansion rather than at the various transit and travel demand management options that were included in the major investment analysis.

Overall, the SIE major investment study has failed to look at whether roadway pricing policies could limit congestion in the corridor. Although major investment study guidelines call for investigation of economic incentives, DOT's analyses have been limited to High Occupancy/Toll Lanes that would implemented by adding a lane in each direction.

While new tolled lanes may hold increased vehicle volumes and induced car and truck trips somewhat below those that a new general lane would generate, DOT's preliminary assessments of HO/T lanes unsurprisingly show a greater increase in SIE traffic volume than any other alternative. Introducing a "third toll" between the Goethals and Verrazano Bridges, even if confined to new lanes, will also be extraordinarily problematic in Staten Island.

A standard HOV lane proposal is probably more likely. Environmental and other groups will still challenge such a project as a facilitator of greater traffic, and are ready to declare the major investment study incomplete if it doesn't examine the obvious toll policy options available for a roadway that lies between two toll bridges. An SIE carpool lane could also be susceptible to the type of campaign that swept HOV lane rules away on I-287 and I-80 in NJ last year.