State must close Port Jeff deal for future electrification

With any enormous undertaking, you have to start somewhere. For Long Island’s long-held goal of electrifying its eastern Long Island Rail Road branches, that start is 40 acres in Port Jefferson Station which the Suffolk County Landbank, a nonprofit focused on distressed properties, hopes to hand over to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for $10.

That’s not a typo.

The land is part of the 126-acre Lawrence Aviation Industries Superfund site, where a $48 million federal environmental cleanup is nearly complete. The property was divided into thirds, with the other two sections designated for open space and a solar energy installation. The MTA’s part would be used for a new rail yard and a new Port Jefferson station, both of which are needed to eventually electrify the Port Jefferson branch. County and Landbank officials have been trying to finalize the MTA deal for a year and a half.

Suffolk County, Brookhaven Town, Port Jefferson Village, local lawmakers and area civic groups are on board. The MTA is on board, as LIRR President Rob Free confirmed to the editorial board Tuesday, when he called it an “absolutely necessary first step.” Gov. Kathy Hochul also is on board, according to a spokeswoman.

Yet, with a June 30 deadline looming, the deal is stuck. The holdup is coming from the state Department of Transportation, which has an easement across the property and has claimed it might need the land for a future highway. To be clear: There are no actual highway plans or any demands for one. The state DOT has held up the deal twice before, leading Suffolk to extend previous deadlines last June and last December. County officials understandably say this June’s deadline is final.

For the first time, thanks in part to a push from Hochul, DOT has indicated a willingness to move forward, saying in a statement it “is in the process of delivering a free property easement to MTA . . . ” But there was bad news. “This unique and complicated process will take several months,” the statement said.

Process is important. But the DOT has had 18 months to resolve its outstanding issues; beyond the imaginary highway plan, it has expressed no objections. Now, 18 months have been wasted. It’s past time to get this done.

That requires a stronger hand from Hochul, who must broker the differences between the MTA and DOT and get the deal over the finish line. Hochul has touted her commitment to public transit, most recently finalizing funding for a $68.4 billion MTA capital plan that included $6 billion for the LIRR and $800 million for regional improvements — including electrification-related efforts. Fulfilling that commitment means making sure the DOT doesn’t hold up this deal any longer.

One way or another, the Lawrence Aviation deal must be finalized in 26 days to put the rail yard, a new station and, eventually, electrification, on the right track.