Although bits and pieces of Governor Cuomo’s plans for this year’s legislative session had been leaked to the press in advance of yesterday’s State of the State address, he did save a few surprises for the big day, especially with respect to transportation. The Governor highlighted a couple of big ticket items that have been on his transportation wishlist for some years: the launch of a new Metro-North Railroad line that would add stations in the Bronx and provide Hudson Valley and Connecticut commuters with access to Penn Station, and expediting the rebuilding of JFK and LaGuardia Airports.

The proposed Metro-North “Penn Station Access” project is an initiative recommended by the Governor’s 2100 Commission to help build New York’s resiliency and redundancy in the event of disasters like Superstorm Sandy. The new line would bypass the historically troublesome bottlenecks of Mott Haven Junction and the Harlem River Lift Bridge, which often hinder the commutes of 275,000 commuters to and from the City. The plan would also provide an alternate access point to the city in the event that Grand Central Terminal is inaccessible.

The Governor proposes to seek federal funds for the project—estimated to cost $1 billion—which will primarily use existing tracks, and will add four new stations in the Bronx at Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester and Hunts Point. The funds would also be used to purchase new rail cars for the new service, all while providing the East Bronx with their first commuter rail line.

The Metro-North Penn Station Access announcement comes one week after State Senator Fuschillo of Long Island stepped down as chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, who was lukewarm to the project during his tenure as Chair, and Long Island elected officials have historically pushed back against the idea due to concerns that additional trains serving Penn Station would crowd out Long Island Rail Road commuters.

These initiatives came just one day after the Governor, along with Vice President Joe Biden, announced a $7.1 billion plan to harden the transportation system, with projects that include using federal funds to replace or retrofit 100 bridges across the state, seal subways and protect bus depots, flood-proof automobile and truck tunnels, and minimize damage and disruptions to airports.

In his speech, the Governor also proposed a State take-over of the JFK and LaGuardia airport rehabilitation projects — not unlike the way he commandeered the Tappan Zee Bridge project. New York City’s airports are some of the busiest in the world and have been busting at the seams for years. By taking management responsibility from the Port Authority, the Governor intends to expedite the modernization process of the airports, which will include a new terminal at LaGuardia and developing a “State-of-the-art passenger experience” at both airports. The initiative would also include re-establishing JFK as a major cargo hub for the region.

The Governor also reissued a call to expand east-west roadway capacity along the Route 11 corridor, which provides a “link between the cities and village centers of the North Country,” just south of the Canadian border. In his speech yesterday, the Governor called for a new interstate running parallel with Route 11:

In the North Country, the proposed Route 98 could reduce travel times and speed up commerce. Let’s see if we can make it a reality. We’ve been talking about it for years. Let’s get DOT to undertake a study and see if we can make this project happen.

But the State of the State Guidebook proposed an alternative: the North Country Regional Economic Development Council-supported bypass between Canton and Potsdam, which adds capacity only to the section with the highest traffic in the Route 11 corridor.

Other transportation-related initiatives mentioned in the Governor’s speech include:

• $100 million additional investment to create and preserve 3,000 units of affordable housing in multi-family developments (but no mention as to whether this housing will be transit-accessible — to be truly affordable, transportation will need to be considered)
  
• a $2 billion bond act for the Smart Schools Initiative, which would push out any opportunity for bond initiatives for the environment or transportation this election cycle
• a tightening of DWI and laws related to use of cell phones while driving.

Unfortunately, advocates for improved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure across the state were disappointed that their call for dedicated funds went unheeded in the Governor’s speech. While tackling drunk and distracted driving is laudable, speeding traffic in New York takes more lives than drunk driving and distracted driving, combined. But safe streets advocates should not be discouraged. There is still time for the Governor to dedicate funding for these much-needed projects that calm traffic and save lives.