Celebrating the Defeat of Cuomo’s Tunnel

This article first appeared in the 7/4/18 edition of The North Shore Leader.

By Loriann Cody

Politicians, civic groups, activists, neighbors and the press met at Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay on Friday, June 29th at noon to celebrate the death (hopefully final) of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s cross-sound tunnel project. The event, hosted by the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) government and led by Town Supervisor Joe Saladino, had a distinctly victorious feel that was tempered with caution. It’s not as if this idea of a Long Island Sound crossing, whether bridge or tunnel, hadn’t been raised by Albany before. Governors across the decades of the 1930s, 1950s and 1970s had submitted various cross-sound projects, and each time they were met with vigorous opposition, eventually leading to the proposal’s downfall. This time was no different. 

On Thursday, June 28th, New York State Department of Transportation released a statement saying they are no longer pursuing the cross sound tunnel project that was slated to connect the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway (Rte 135) northern terminus in Syosset and Interstate 95 in Rye, Westchester. The reason being that at this time the project is cost-prohibitive. 

While most local North Shore residents were against the Governor’s plan from the onset, it seems the recent press conference held on Wednesday, at Syosset Woodbury Community Park by the Coalition Against an Unsound Crossing (CAUS), was the tipping point. That press conference was attended by all the major metro area TV networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, News12, Fios) as well as newspapers and online news organizations, and perhaps the Governor, who is running for re-election this year, did not like so much negative attention.

On Friday, Saladino thanked all who may have had a part in the proposal’s downfall, and the list was long: State Senator Carl Marcellino, who first brought the project to light when it was included in Cuomo’s state-of-the-state address in 2016; State Assemblyman Michael Montesano, who fought in Albany against the tunnel, TOB Councilwoman Michele Johnson, who lives local and was a fierce tunnel opponent, and Bayville Village Trustee Jon Taylor, who heads the Bavyille Anti-Tunnel Committee which hosted many public informational meetings about the tunnel project. Also on board against the tunnel were Nassau Legislators Josh Lafazan, Delia DeRiggi-Whitton and County Assemblyman Charles Lavine, who along with US Congressman Tom Suozzi, crossed party lines to denounce the project.

“Coming together, crossing party lines, these pebbles came together to become an avalanche.” Saladino made reference to Cuomo’s speech about building a LI Sound crossing where the Governor said, “You’re not going to build anything especially on Long Island where everybody says, great it’s exactly what I wanted, but you can’t have a pebble stop a bulldozer either.” 

That theme was seconded by all.

John Taylor was gratified by recent developments, “Cuomo heard us and all the coalitions...the cost is too high.”

There was trepidation as well regarding the possibility that the death of the tunnel is a ploy by the Governor in an election year. Senator Marcellino noted, “We will keep our eyes on the ball, the minute we let down our guard, they’ll be back. Let’s cut off the head of the snake and let it die.”

Saladino agreed, “The cost was just a hill too large for the Governor to climb, but we will not ever, never let our guard down. Let’s send a message to Albany, we will not tolerate anything that will change our local area now. United we stand, divided we fall.”