February 25, 2009
Community Board 5
330 W. 42nd Street, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Dear Members of Community Board 5:
On behalf of the New York Building Congress, I am writing to urge Community Board 5 to support ULURP Application #C090263 (Access to the Region’s Core) for the trans-Hudson rail tunnel (THE Tunnel) project, which recently cleared a significant milestone with the issuance of the Federal Transit Administration’s Record of Decision on the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). Increasing transit capacity across the Hudson River between Midtown Manhattan and New Jersey is critical to alleviating growing congestion, advancing the economic competitiveness of the region and contributing to the region’s recovery from the current economic downturn. Building THE Tunnel is the right solution to accomplish those goals.
Today, the Northeast rail system, connecting New York, New Jersey, Washington and Boston, strains under the limitations of 100-year-old, one-track-in-one–track-out rail infrastructure crossing the Hudson River. Continued exclusive reliance on this constrained infrastructure, which is already at capacity with 23 peak-hour trains into Penn Station each weekday morning, jeopardizes reliability and security of the transportation system. The problem will only get worse as the region’s population and economy grow and the number of people using the trans-Hudson commuter rail system increases.
As detailed in the recent Building Congress Electricity Outlook Report, New York City’s population is projected to grow to 8.4 million by 2010, and to reach over 9.3 million by 2025, for a total gain of 1.28 million people since 2002. Total jobs in New York City may reach 4.46 million in 2010, and over five million in 2025, for a gain of 887,300 jobs over employment levels in 2002.
Similarly, according to the FEIS, the population in the project’s primary west-of-Hudson service market area, consisting of Northern and Central New Jersey and Orange and Rockland Counties in New York, is projected to grow from almost 7.5 million in 2000 to more than 9.1 million in 2030.
THE Tunnel directly addresses the access and mobility demands for this degree of regional growth, especially since trans-Hudson auto crossings also are near capacity. THE Tunnel will improve the quality of regional rail travel by augmenting the rail system’s capacity, more than doubling the AM and PM peak hour train service and providing a 70 percent increase in weekday commuter trips. Customer convenience and reduced travel time will be enhanced by more one-seat ride service, and facility crowding will be further alleviated by new station capacity under 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, with passenger connections to Penn Station, PATH and subway stations. THE Tunnel will also furnish the necessary redundancy for boosting regional security and eliminating commuter rail delays caused by unanticipated events or routine maintenance. These improvements will attract ridership, reduce roadway congestion and make the air cleaner.
Other substantial immediate and long-term economic benefits of THE Tunnel will redound to the region. During the construction period, projected economic benefits include: nearly 59,900 construction jobs and total employment of nearly 98,300 jobs (on-site jobs plus direct, indirect and induced jobs that would supply the construction effort); over $1.5 billon in local, state and federal taxes; almost $4 billion in personal income; and over $9 billion in business activity. The projected annual, permanent economic benefits of THE Tunnel include: 752 new jobs, with 410 in the transportation and transit services industries; nearly $15.5 million in local, state and federal taxes; $46 million in personal income; and over $120.1 million in business activity. With this level of economic activity, THE Tunnel promises to be one of the most cost-effective 21st Century regional investments.
THE Tunnel also exemplifies a golden opportunity to help the region recover from the current economic downturn and emerge stronger than ever. The Building Congress is hopeful that Community Board 5 will do its part to seize that opportunity by swiftly concluding its review of the ULURP application for the project and issuing a favorable recommendation on it.
Sincerely,
Richard T. Anderson
President
