News From...Congressman Vito Fossella

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

Staten Island, NY -- Seeking to ease the growing traffic crunch on Staten Island, Congressman Vito Fossella (R-NY) has targeted rebuilding the Whitehall Ferry Terminal and improving mass transit as his transportation funding priorities for the current year.

In testimony delivered to the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee today, Fossella sought funding to advance both these projects, which he deemed critical to improving transportation on Staten Island.

"Transportation problems on Staten Island are reaching near-mythical proportions," Fossella said. "Motorists sit in virtually dead-stop traffic on the Staten Island Expressway while express bus riders are forced to squeeze into cramped buses for a two hour commute to work. While mass transit has the potential to allow residents to keep their cars parked in the driveway, bus and train service remains too limited. I am seeking several million dollars in new federal funding this year to ease the Island traffic crunch."

For Fiscal Year 2000, Fossella's transportation priorities include:

• Continued funding to reconstruct the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan.
• Funding for MIS/DEIS (Major Investment Study) of North Shore Railroad Line for Passenger Service.

Fossella specifically requested $39 million to complete the reconstruction work at Whitehall by 2002. That money would complement the over $11 million the Committee has already appropriated and the money pledged by the City of New York for repair work. The City of New York has committed $48 million toward the $98 million project. To date, however, only $11 million has been appropriated.

"The lack of full funding has hindered our efforts to rebuild this world-renowned transportation hub," Fossella said. "As the Borough President moves forward with his plans to build a baseball stadium and new museum near the ferry, it becomes even more critical for work at the Whitehall Terminal to be completed. This project has lingered on for far too long, and I am committed to seeing it completed as quickly and efficiently as possible."

With an eye on easing traffic and bolstering mass transportation, Fossella is also seeking $1.5 million for the federal share of the MIS/DEIS study of reactivating the North Shore Railroad for passenger service. The first two steps in the revitalization, purchasing the right-of-way to the line and restoring a portion for freight service, have already been completed.

"The final piece of the puzzle is the reconstruction of the remaining rail corridor for passenger service," Fossella said. "This line will not only produce a significant increase in mass transit ridership, but it will also help to improve the commute for thousands of residents who work or are traveling to the North Shore of Staten Island. Many communities that have suffered since the line was abandoned in the 1980s will likely also undergo a revitalization once service is restored."

The North Shore Railroad Line is an inactive railway corridor that was used for both passenger service and as a freight connection to industrial businesses before being abandoned in the 1980's. Since the abandonment, a bi-state plan was created to reactivate the line for use for both freight and passenger operations. A 1995 MTA New York City Transit Study already identified the North Shore rail line restoration as a long-term recommended project.