The cross-harbor freight tunnel’s draft EIS, prepared during the past several years by the NYC Economic Development Corp., rules out building a new tunnel between Staten Island and Brooklyn, stating that the Jersey City-Brooklyn link it analyzed will be cheaper, less environmentally intrusive, easier to build and provide better rail links. The main decision about the project that the EIS leaves open is whether to build a double or single tunnel system.

Clearance improvements along the Bay Ridge and Montauk rail lines in Brooklyn and Queens, and a new rail yard in West Maspeth, Queens are integral features of the preferred project alternative. It would create a direct connection to the Greenville Branch line in Jersey City and possibly connect to port facilities in Jersey City and Bayonne.

The EIS forecasts truck to rail diversion of 9.5 million tons per year for a single tunnel, and 14.8 million tons for the double tunnel in 2025, producing a 3% reduction in projected regional truck miles traveled in the former case, and a 4.5% lowering for the latter.

Bridge gateways enjoying the largest truck volume percentage reductions in 2025 as a result of the project are the Verrazano, with a 14-18% truck savings, and the Tappan Zee, with a 5-16% drop. Likewise, Staten Island would see the largest percentage reduction in truck miles of any "subregion," with 13-16%, followed by Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley. Queens would in fact see an increase in trucking owing to the creation of the intermodal yard in Maspeth, where trains and trucks would exchange loads.

The EIS foresees the use of low-emission equipment at yards and rail switching points and noise barriers along certain track segments. It predicts that annual energy savings would run into the millions of gallons of fuel.

Development of the yard in Maspeth could lead to the taking of 25-50 businesses (the double-tunnel option would require a bigger yard) and could lead to the addition of 730-1820 trucks over 24 hours onto the Queens roadway network (for a 3.4-8.5% increase).

The Campaign will continue to add to this information, and provide more commentary on the development of the project, as we review the DEIS in detail and monitor reaction to it. Already last week Jersey City officials issued a new barrage of hostile comments about the project (see also MTR #434), calling it a "trash tunnel" whose main purpose is to export solid waste from NYC. The DEIS estimates freight demand for the tunnel without including markets for trash transport.v