Green Freight
According to data from the Federal Highway Administration,
New York City and New Jersey’s truck traffic is projected
to skyrocket by over 50% by 2020. This surge in trucks
will have significant consequences for the region’s quality
of life, specifically its air quality, human health, traffic congestion,
road wear and tear, and traffic safety. Many
of the neighborhoods most impacted will be those that are already
disproportionately burdened with environmental hazards.
Expanded rail freight can help flatten this increase, but
faces resistance from the public in many places and lacks sufficient public investment. The Campaign is a member of Move NY & NJ, a coalition advocating for the construction of the cross harbor rail freight tunnel between NJ and NY. According to the NYC Economic Development Corporation, the tunnel would reduce truck traffic by allowing up to 15 million tons of truck traffic per year to be carried via rail. It would mean less trucks throughout the region and the Northeast.
Tri-State is working to promote cleaner alternatives to trucks,
to increase public commitment to rail freight investment, and to
empower citizens to protect their neighborhoods. The latter
includes education on traffic calming methods which effectively bar trucks
from local streets, and advocating for improved police enforcement and more appropriate
truck routing regulations.
Cross Harbor Freight Rail Tunnel
The Cross Harbor Rail Tunnel is a proposed tunnel which would connect freight rail lines in Brooklyn, NY and Jersey City, NJ and better link the east-of-NYC freight rail network to the national network. Poor connections between the two networks are the primary reason that parts of the Northeast are so dependent on trucks. If constructed, it would have wide-ranging effects on the regional freight rail network. The Port Authority of NY & NJ is now the lead agency for the project.
New York Articles/Reports
Tri-State has worked to alleviate truck impacts in New York City neighborhoods beset by them. One recent victory for sustainable freight was NYC's passage of a Solid Waste Management Plan which shifts the city's disposal of solid waste and recyclables from long-range trucks to rail and barges. After stalling full implementation of the plan for years, the State Assembly passed a law in 2008 allowing the operation of a recycling transfer station at the Gansevoort Peninsula in Manhattan and clearing the way for the plan to proceed as envisioned.
On Long Island, the most critical freight rail project is the controversial Long Island Truck-Rail Intermodal (LITRIM), a truck-rail transfer station proposed for the former site of the Pilgrim State Hospital in Brookhaven. According to NYSDOT, less than 1% of goods delivered to Long Island arrive by train. Some local politicians and residents strongly oppose the project over traffic concerns, an ironic position considering the number of traffic-attracting retail outlets local officials have allowed into the area.
New Jersey Articles/Reports
In 2004, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting New Jersey regulations that prohibit some large trucks from using smaller state highways. A lawsuit against the truck rules had been filed by the American Trucking Associations.
