Cuomo: LIRR third track plan will not need to take any homes
Building a third track on the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line will not require taking any residential properties, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Tuesday.
Cuomo made the remarks during a Melville meeting of the Long Island Association, a business group, to launch a new coalition in support of the $1 billion proposal to construct a third track along a 9.8-mile stretch between Floral Park and Hicksville.
In first announcing his plan to resurrect the third track project, which had been dormant for nearly a decade, Cuomo in January said the plan would require taking a portion or all of about 20 residential properties, and about 30 commercial properties — far fewer than the approximately 200 properties required in the LIRR’s original plan.
But after further engineering, Cuomo said the new plan “literally doesn’t take a single home — not a single home.” That’s because the new track would be constructed entirely on the LIRR’s existing property, Cuomo said.
However, it remains unclear how a parallel effort to eliminate seven grade crossings along part of the project could affect properties near the crossings. Cuomo’s office said Tuesday the crossing plan “is being developed with full community involvement,” and the goal is for “zero residential acquisitions as well.” The project could still require building on some existing commercial properties.
Cuomo appeared in support of the newly created “Right Track for Long Island Coalition,” which seeks to bring LI businesses, educational institutions, unions and other groups together in support of the project, which they say will improve LIRR service by providing extra track capacity, allowing the railroad to run additional trains when it connects to Grand Central Terminal as part of East Side Access, and making it easier for people to travel to and from jobs on Long Island.
Former Greenport Mayor Dave Kapell, who will co-chair the coalition with LIA president Kevin Law, said the project stands to generate a $68 billion return on investment. He called the constraints of having just two tracks on the LIRR’s Main Line, “the single greatest impediment to economic development on Long Island.
Cuomo acknowledged that, despite his commitment to minimize the project’s impact on local communities, it is bound to face opposition. More than 200 people turned out to a New Hyde Park meeting on the project last week — many of them raising concerns on how the project’s construction would disrupt their suburban quality of life.
“I understand the instinct is against change. . . . You say government is going to do a project, people get very nervous,” Cuomo said. “We will be respectful to the community. We’ll get it done if we come together. It will be a tremendous difference.”
MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said Tuesday that he believes the project could be completed five years after the beginning of construction, in part because the MTA will hire the same private contractor to design and build the project.
Floral Park Mayor Thomas Tweedy said he’s concerned that, despite Cuomo’s promises, the project will encounter cost overruns, delays and other complications. He said other, less intrusive projects could address the LIRR’s challenges, including upgrading problematic track switches and installing high-speed signals that would make service more reliable.
“If my roof needs to be fixed, I don’t build a new house. And that’s what we’re doing here,” Tweedy said. “Fix what’s broken.”
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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