N Train Extension To LaG Scrapped
By John Toscano 2003-07-16 / Front Page
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No tears were shed in Astoria over a reported decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to derail the plan for extending the N train to LaGuardia Airport linking the airport with Manhattan.
In fact, considering the long and strong united opposition to the proposal in the Astoria community, the MTA had to be as pleased as everyone else that the plan fell through.
Assemblymember Michael Gianaris commenting on the unexpected development said the plan “belonged on the back burner where they put it.”
City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. took the news as a great victory for the community and was glad the TA finally saw the light and scuttled the proposal.
Community Board 1 District Manager George Delis vowed to fight the planned extension “as hard as we can as long as we have to in case the MTA revives it.”
Although there were mixed feelings about the need for a rapid transit connection from Manhattan to LaGuardia, there was some support expressed for alternate proposals previously considered as routes to the airport.
The unexpected word on the plan’s demise came on Monday in the Daily News. A story said that the emergence of several major and high-cost transit plans had forced the MTA to drop the Manhattan-to-LaGuardia proposal, which was strongly supported by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former Borough President Claire Shulman.
The story said $17 million had been spent on planning, and another $645 million set aside in the MTA budget would stay there, earmarked for the abandoned plan but barred from use in any other project.
MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow was quoted as saying of the plan, “It hasn’t gone away, but it’s slid.”
[…]
Reviewing the background of the LaGuardia connection plan, Gianaris recalled, “The community studied and recommended many options [about 20] but they were all ignored by the MTA.” The one most favored by the community and elected representatives was the No. 7 train connection from Willets Point near Shea Stadium to the airport, Gianaris said.
“That went through industrial areas, not residential communities like the N train, and came into the back of the airport,” Gianaris said. “It was ideal.”
Asked if he felt there was a great need for a transit connection into LaGuardia, Gianaris (D–Astoria) said, “I can understand the need for it.” However, he said, he doubted very much that a businessman in Manhattan would suffer the inconvenience of a train ride as opposed to a taxi ride.
Vallone said the MTA must finally have realized that extending 19th century technology through the heat of a vibrant neighborhood to get to the airport was not a good idea.
The airport gets a Select Bus Service line for now.
Project Description
M60 SBS service will begin in Spring 2014. The overall goals of the project are to speed buses and increase reliability, improve safety for all corridor users, and support overall community needs. Upgrades on the M60 Select Bus Service include off board fare collection, dedicated bus lanes on 125th Street between Lenox Avenue and 2nd Avenue, limited stops, and transit signal priority. The bus lanes on 125th Street will improve speed and reliability on all 125th Street buses.
Improvements to curb regulations on 125th Street will reduce the amount of double parking along the corridor by increasing parking turnover and providing space for commercial vehicle loading. SBS improvements will also benefit riders taking the M60 to the LaGuardia Airport. From end-to-end, the proposed service would be 10-15% faster than the current M60 route, and 15-20% faster from 125th/Lexington Avenue to LaGuardia Airport.