The Jamaica transportation hub could get $600,000 in federal funds soon in order to help improve safety at the busy transit center.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Thursday, July 30 that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $600,000 in the fiscal year 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill that would help renovate Jamaica Station’s intersection between Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard.
“As a mother and a lawmaker, the safety of our communities is a top priority of mine,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This federal investment in the infrastructure of this bustling transportation hub will provide safer access to the roads, pedestrian plazas, trains and subways for driver and pedestrians alike.”
Under the terms of the bill, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC), which is one of the oldest, non-profit development corporations in the borough, would use the $600,000 to create wider turning radius for buses, expanded sidewalks, pedestrian plazas, improved subway exits, new streets signs and lighting, and convenient retail stores for transit users at the Jamaica transit hub between Archer Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard.
Each day, approximately 18,000 people travel around the hub that provides AirTran light rail service to John F. Kennedy Airport, four subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road and multiple regional bus lines.
The GJDC, which is in its 42nd year of operation in the southeast Queens community, has three main interests – business, government and community – and the group has worked hard to develop and maintain relationships with all three sectors throughout the years.
When Congress resumes session in September, the appropriations bill is expected to come before the full Senate for a vote. If it passes, it would go to the House-Senate Conference committee before coming to a full vote in both Houses. The bill could be signed into law by President Barack Obama sometime in the fall.
