By Mark Hallum
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a milestone had been reached in the LIRR’s Main Line Expansion Project, which is the next step toward construction of the new rail to reduce congestion on the tracks while maintaining the quality of life for residents along the corridor.
A draft Environmental Impact Statement has been released which identifies the scientific, engineering and socioeconomic effects of the project, and the results demonstrate how the expansion could improve service and safety for both riders and residents.
The LIRR Expansion Project will add a third track to the 9.8-mile stretch of Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, and eliminate all seven street-level crossings within the construction zone. The project will accomplish this goal without having to acquire any residential properties, while sound walls will be built to minimize the impact on surrounding homes.
The construction itself is expected to have relatively little impact on neighborhoods with satellite parking for workers and plans to use existing tracks to deliver supplies to work sites. This will protect access to businesses and schools.
“Gov. Cuomo challenged us to undertake a project to transform the LIRR experience for both passengers and local communities and to do so with an unprecedented level of community consultation and outreach – and that’s exactly what we’re doing now,” MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said. “We have gone to extraordinary lengths to listen to what the public wants out of this project. We will continue to study the impacts of this proposal and take input from all stakeholders, including neighbors along the tracks and Main Line customers from across Long Island and New York City.”
About 308,000 commuters use the LIRR everyday, with an estimated 40 percent of them taking the Main Line, according to the MTA. The proposed project would improve service for around 500,000 weekly passengers after considering the other branches passing through the Main Line.
“Expanding the Main Line is crucial to the future of Long Island and its residents,” Cuomo said. “By increasing capacity on one of the LIRR’s busiest corridors and eliminating all street-level grade crossings, this project will result in less traffic, less congestion and a transportation network that meets the needs of current and future generations of Long Islanders. Today’s action marks an important milestone in this project’s completion and is another major step forward in our efforts to build a brighter future for Long Island.”
Station upgrades will include longer platforms to reduce the need to hold trains for passengers moving to different cars to exit and additional parking for the anticipated growth in future ridership.
“The grade crossing elimination options for this project were developed in close consultation with local communities and will end the noise, traffic and safety concerns that they have been living with for years,” DOT Commissioner Matthew Driscoll said. “It will lead to a significant improvement in quality of life for many people.”
Six public hearings will be held throughout January and will be listed at www.aMode
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
