MTA Seeks Blueprints for Interborough Express Spanning Brooklyn and Queens

-

Preliminary design work is next step for a new light rail line championed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.


By Jose Martinez


This article originally appeared in The City.


NEW YORK - The next step for a proposed light-rail transit line between Brooklyn and Queens along 14 miles of existing freight tracks will be preliminary design work, MTA officials said Tuesday.




The Interborough Express, a rail link between Bay Ridge and Jackson Heights, would have 19 stops and connect to 17 subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road. The MTA also said it is looking at potentially using an existing tunnel beneath a Queens cemetery instead of running street-level service in Middle Village.


“We’re taking an underutilized train line, [which] basically gets one freight train a day, and turning it into something which is transformative for so many New Yorkers,” said MTA CEO Janno Lieber in announcing the request for design proposals. “It makes no sense that the 5 million people who live in Brooklyn and Queens have to go to Manhattan on the subway to reach the other boroughs.”



Officials made the IBX announcement near what they hope will eventually be the Queens terminal of a line that is projected to serve 100,000 riders.


The preliminary engineering phase is expected to last two years while the federal environmental review phase that started in 2023 continues, potentially setting the stage for future construction contracts to be awarded.


“First, it will get us all the way through the federal environmental review that’s necessary to advance the project,” said Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction & Development. “Second, it will give us what we need to compete for federal funding that’s critical to getting the project built.




“And third, it gets us to the next step — the next step is having a builder get started on building IBX.” 


The project had an estimated price tag of $5.5 billion when Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed it in her January 2023 State of the State speech, with $2.75 billion allocated for the IBX as part of the MTA’s next five-year spending program for systemwide capital upgrades. 


The record $68.4 billion 2025-2029 capital program faces an uncertain funding future and a more than $16 billion gap in the transit agency’s budget caused by Hochul’s congestion pricing pause in June.


Officials said that money from the state budget and a federal Transportation Department grant will enable preliminary engineering and environmental review work to proceed on what would be the MTA’s first light-rail line. 


The proposed route of the Interborough Express.


Officials touted potential gains from the IBX that could include a 40-minute end-to-end trip between Queens and Brooklyn and cutting commute times between the two boroughs.



“It’s really also deeply important to just giving people back time they don’t have to waste going out of their way,” Lieber said. “That’s something Governor Hochul always talks about — let’s give people back time in their lives, and this project is about to do that.”


MTA data shows that Queens last year had two of the 10 busiest subway stations — Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave/74 St. and Flushing-Main Street — continuing a shift that began during the pandemic of the borough grabbing a larger share of ridership.


“Queens is certainly ready for the IBX,” said Donovan Richards, the Queens borough president. “Not only do we want it, but we need it.”


Transit advocates praised the “good news” of the MTA’s potential use of a tunnel beneath All Faiths Cemetery, but also cautioned about a lack of full funding for the IBX and other projects.



“New Yorkers need reliable trains and accessible stations more than our leaders deserve flashy groundbreakings and shiny ribbon cuttings,” said Danny Pearlstein, policy director for Riders Alliance.


Our nonprofit newsroom relies on readers to sustain our local reporting and keep it free for all New Yorkers. DONATE to THE CITY

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Man Drives Self to Hospital Pronounced Dead

-
Image
Shooting Victim Succumbs to Wounds  The NYPD is investigating a shooting in Queens in which the victim was shot on the strret but managed to trasnport himself to the hospital where he died. -File Photo By Dan Gesslein  Queens Voice March 23, 2024 QUEENS - A Brooklyn man who transported himself to a Queens hospital after being shot was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the medical center, cops said. Police were called to Queens Hospital in Hillcrest on March 21 for a call of man suffering from a gunshot wound. Hospital staff told the officers that a man walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest. He died a short time later. The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Curtis Moe of Brooklyn. An investigation revealed that Moe was shot in the chest in front of 178-16 Leslie Road.
Read more

What Is a Sanctuary City and What Does That Mean for NYC Under Trump?

-
Image
  Here’s a guide to the policies that together define a “sanctuary city” — and what that could mean during a potential mass deportation effort. This article originally appeared in The City. By  Gwynne Hogan ,  Rachel Holliday Smith , and  Rachel Kahn NEW YORK - Throughout the election, Donald Trump promised to enact an unprecedented campaign of mass deportations , saying he wants to remove “as many as 20 million” people from the United States during his second administration. A trio of early personnel choices — Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff for policy, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for homeland security secretary and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement head Tom Homan as “border czar” — indicate that the incoming president is very serious about following through with his pledge. In New York, advocates have called for Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams to institute policies that protect immigrants within New York’s borders before T...
Read more

Traffic Deaths Drop at ‘Boulevard of Death’

-
Image
DOT Announces Completion of Boulevard Redesign   Queens Voice  November 12, 2024 NEW YORK  – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the completion of the sixth and final phase of the city’s transformative, Vision Zero redesign of Queens Boulevard, once known as the “Boulevard of Death.”  The project, which began in 2015, has already resulted in a dramatic decline in traffic deaths and injuries. The final section, between Skillman and Roosevelt Avenues, includes parking-protected curbside bike lanes to enhance cyclist safety; pedestrian islands to shorten crossing distances while encouraging slower, safer turns; and additional adjustments to traffic signal timing to allow more time for pedestrian crossings before lights turn green.    The redesign has brought safety enhancements along the entire length of Queens Boulevard, transforming this Vision Zero Priority Corridor into a multi-modal boulevard f...
Read more