Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project

The Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project is a proposed public-works project in New York City, New York, that would use the Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Branch and a new tunnel under the East River to connect a new train station at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub site with John F. Kennedy International Airport and Jamaica Station on the LIRR. It would allow one-seat, 36-minute travel between JFK airport and Lower Manhattan, cut commuting times from Long Island by up to 40% and reduce pressure on the crowded East Side subway lines in Manhattan. A feasibility study has been completed that considered several other options, including using the existing Montague Street Tunnel (BMT) or the Cranberry Street Tunnel (IND). It recommended constructing a new tunnel. The study estimated that as many as 100,000 riders would use the new services on an average weekday.

The Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project was a priority of former New York Governor George Pataki. His successor, former Governor Eliot Spitzer has said that he did not view the project as a top priority, compared to construction of the Second Avenue Subway, LIRR East Side Access, or replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge, and wants a careful evaluation of the benefits of the costly project.

History

The Lower Manhattan Business District is one of the biggest Central Business Districts in the United States. Many people have to take the LIRR To Atlantic Avenue hop on a Manhattan bound train or ferry to get to Lower Manhattan to work. People then have to take the the same trip back which is extremely time consuming. For years there were many proposals to extend the LIRR to Lower Manhattan which none came to pass. With a huge boom in skyscrapers and employment rates Lower Manhattan the proposal again came to light. The proposal is to extend the LIRR from the Jamaica station into Lower Manhattan. The plan would lower traffic from Brooklyn/Queens to Lower Manhattan.

Proposed Routes

There are many proposed routes for the Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation Project. One is to drill a tunnel to any existing New York City Subway Tunnel and use it. A new plan is to drill a new tunnel under the East River. The route would allow people access to JFK from Lower Manhattan.

ee also

*East Side Access

*Second Avenue Subway

External links

* [http://www.mta.info/mta/planning/lmlink/feasibility.htm MTA feasibility study]
* [http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev/transportation/default.asp Lower Manhattan Development corporation]
* [http://www.spitzer2006.com/main.cfm? Information From Spitzers Original Webpage.]