Tappan Zee Study Needs to Explain
Choices
Civic and municipal leaders in the lower Hudson Valley
are concerned that the NY State Thruway Authority and
Metro-North Railroad have not offered much explanation
for the process by which they pared down options to be
examined within their study of replacing the Tappan Zee
Bridge.
Development May Trump Pilgrim Railyard
A large Newsday story this week on the future of the
Pilgrim State Hospital site in Suffolk County centered
once again on developer Jerry Wolcoff’s plans for
the area. And once again, NY State DOT’s plans
for an intermodal rail freight yard next to Wolcoff’s
land was not mentioned at all.ril.
Port Authority Works to Expand Lincoln Tunnel Busway
The Port Authority has issued a request for proposals
seeking consultants to design a second exclusive bus
lane along the eastbound section of the Lincoln Tunnel
approach highway (NJ-495).
Truck Legislation Passes in Albany, Still Pending in
City Hall
New York City neighborhoods may finally start
getting a reprieve from trucks. Earlier this month, Governor
Pataki signed into law a bill to increase fines and
hand out points to truckers that travel off of trucks
routes in New York City. Starting November 1st, fines
will be raised to $200-$500 for a first offense, increasing
to up to $2,000 for a repeat offense. Repeat offenders
may also be served with up to 90 days in jail.
Freight Hike Predictions Coming True at NY/NJ Ports
Container volumes at the Port of NY/NJ rose 9.5% from
2001 to 2002, and jumped another 20% from January to
April this year in the aftermath of the labor lockout
at West Coast ports, according to the Journal of Commerce.
At a recent conference on maritime business, Elizabeth
terminal operator Brian Maher suggested demand could
double by 2010 and triple by 2020, but questioned whether
current planning could keep pace with such growth.
CT Strategy Board Bill Mandates Alternatives Analysis
for Highway Projects
The CT General Assembly and Governor Rowland passed
a budget this month that includes a provision to allocate
$500 million over the next 10 years for Transportation
Strategy Board (TSB) projects intended to reduce gridlock
in the state.
Waterbury Service on the Block
Waterbury train service is once again in jeopardy,
and this time ConnDOT is using a tricky method to do
the job. Waterbury trains running from Bridgeport will
be cut in mid-September for 45 days for construction,
with trains replaced by buses. But after construction
is finished, in early November, train service will
only resume during morning and afternoon-rush hours.
Midday train service will be indefinitely discontinued
in favor of buses.
