City real estate and business leaders are urging the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to approve a planned LaGuardia Airtrain
With construction employment down by more than 13 percent and the tourism industry devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, the group say the $2 billion venture is needed now more than ever.
“While New York has led the way in the battle against the
COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to face a steep climb in rebuilding our
economy,” said the group of 95 organizations and transit leaders in letter to
the FAA as it enters the final stages of its review of the plan.
“Despite the challenges, we remain confident that New York
will come back. And one of the strategies we’ve relied on is to build our way
back by investing in infrastructure that creates good paying jobs now, when we
need them, while building the foundation for growth well into the future.”
The project, which could begin construction as early as next year if it receives full FAA approval, would support 3,000 union construction jobs and drive hundreds of millions of dollars in contracting opportunities to local, minority, and women-owned businesses, according to A Better Way to LGA , the group corralling support for the venture.
“AirTrain LaGuardia’s benefits will continue to bolster our
economy for decades to come by creating a mass rail transit link to the airport
that will provide a fast and dependable ride to and from Midtown Manhattan of
30 minutes or less,” said the A Better Way to LGA consortium, that includes
REBNY, New York Building Congress and the Building & Construction Trades
Council.
“Today, 93 percent of travel to LaGuardia is by private
vehicle or private shuttles. Relying on vehicles means that travelers, too
often, spend their first and last hours in New York stuck in traffic. With the
historic, $8 billion investment to transform LaGuardia into the nation’s most
technologically sophisticated airport, it is ludicrous to think that it should
remain as the only major airport on the East Coast without a mass transit rail
link.”
Some 95 organizations and transit leaders have pledged
support for the project, including all five New York City Chambers of Commerce,
local Queens business leaders and State transportation leaders who believe an
AirTrain offers a reliable, green alternative that will reduce vehicle
emissions and congestion.
Surveys of passengers at LaGuardia indicate that as many as
10 million would use AirTrain and its connections through a new station at
Willets Point to the Long Island Rail Road and the No. 7 subway to Manhattan.
“Those connections will be an important asset as we rebuild
our tourism and convention industry, while making New York more inviting and
easier to navigate for business travelers who will have greater options for
conducting business virtually in the future,” said A Better Way to Go in its
open letter.
According to its supporters, the JFK AirTrain – which opened
in 2003 – has shown how a driverless, 24/7 rail system can help spark local
economic development, noting it has been a catalyst for more than $1 billion in
private and public investment to date, with more in development.
“AirTrain LaGuardia could do the same for the long-anticipated redevelopment of Willets Point adjacent to the new station, helping turn a blighted industrial district into a neighborhood filled with new housing, retail, hotels, schools, and parks,” said the letter.
A joint-venture of Related Companies and Sterling Equities
is transforming a long contaminated area known as the Iron Triangle in Queens into
the five million square feet new Willets Point development that will have a mix
of retail, housing and entertainment once its complete.
The proposed people-mover would run mostly alongside the
Grand Central Parkway and the Flushing Bay promenade on a 1.5-mile route
between LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst and Willets Point, where it would
connect to the 7 subway line and the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington
branch.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is supporting the venture, which would
require no private property and would not run through any residential neighborhood
or commercial
AirTrain LaGuardia also has the near unanimous support of
the state Legislature and has received initial approval from the Federal
Aviation AirTrain Administration, which is conducting an environmental review.
The Port Authority is the project sponsor and the FAA is the
federal lead agency responsible for preparing the EIS. The project would
include passenger stations at LaGuardia Airport that would connect with the
Long Island Railroad and the New York City subway system at Willets Point, in
Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Opponents have suggested the airport would be better served
by extending the N train to LaGuardia or increasing the number of bus lanes on
the Parkway.
The environmental organization, Guardians of Flushing Bay, has called the AirTrain “an unnecessary boondoggle” that will hamper economic recovery Northern Queens.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also spoken out against
the plan, saying the PA has ruled out alternative solutions without explaining
why.
“This decision will have a lasting impact on thousands of
people in our community,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The community must receive
answers to their fundamental questions and it’s imperative that we understand
why further investment and improvement of other transit options have been ruled
out.”
