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| Staten Island needs West Shore Light Rail ? (1276861) | |||
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Staten Island needs West Shore Light Rail ? |
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Posted by Gold_12th on Sun Feb 23 10:48:54 2014  The West Shore is primed to become Staten Island's next economic hotspot, but one key piece of the puzzle is still missing: Mass transit. The Staten Island Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC) is looking to change all that by pushing for money for two studies that could bring a long-sought light-rail system to fruition. The endeavor is the SIEDC's "signature project and highest priority," Robert Moore, chairman of the SIEDC's board of directors, told members of the Advance Editorial Board. The SIEDC has for years pushed the project, saying it is necessary if the West Shore is to realize its potential as the Island's business hub. The idea is to build a 13.1-mile public transit system with stops from Richmond Valley to Elm Park. It would carry Island commuters to the Bayonne Bridge and connect with New Jersey Transit's Hudson Bergen Light Rail Line, which leads to PATH trains into Manhattan. A 2009 rail study showed that the line could attract 13,000 riders a day. Speaking at last year's SIEDC conference in Bloomfield, then-Democratic mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio spoke in favor of the rail line, saying it would "revolutionize" transportation by linking the Island to Bayonne and beyond. What's needed now is $5 million each for an alternatives analysis study and an environmental impact statement. Moore said that big-ticket federal funding for the project can't be secured without those studies being completed. "This will bring all the questions together and put the final project in place," said Moore. "This could be a final study." He credited the Staten Island Advance with helping to keep the light-rail issue at the forefront as well. In addition, the studies must be sponsored by a local transit agency, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority or the city Department of Transportation. The SIEDC, working with Island elected officials, is lobbying the state to pay for the studies, which will make it easier for a sponsoring agency to then be found. The group hopes that the same agency will sponsor both studies. Said Steven Grillo, SIEDC's vice president of projects, "We're very close to the final piece of this. There are no more meetings to have." In addition to light rail, other alternatives like fast ferries and Bus Rapid Transit would also be studied, but a light-rail system has long been the SIDEC's goal. "Light rail works in New Jersey," said SIEDC President and CEO Cesar Claro. "Imagine what it could do on Staten Island." Even absent the expected development boom, the West Shore still needs more transit, said SIEDC Project Manager Varun Sanyal. He pointed out that the city Economic Development Corp. estimates that the area will be home to 65,000 new resident by 2030. That could lead to 55,000 more cars in the area, too many for the West Shore's already stressed traffic infrastructure, including the outmoded West Shore Expressway, to handle. Add to that the expanding presence of the Corporate Park of Staten Island, the coming Freshkills Park and the development of a mega movie studio at the old Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, Charleson, and the need for expanded transit for residents and workers is clear, proponents say. "There needs to be a viable public transit option on the West Shore," Grillo said. "It's about getting people on and off the Island." Grillo said that the Hudson Bergen line was the most popular in the country, and that Hudson County was one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S. Grillo said that another goal is to attract Hudson County workers to live here on the Island, and increased transit is necessary for that. "It would be a missed opportunity if we don't tap into that," he said. http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/02/staten_island_economic_develop_7.html |
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