Cuomo’s Tunnel Would Change Syosset
This article is one in a series of articles examining New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's plans for a cross-sound tunnel between Syosset and Rye. The series appears in The North Shore Leader.
Governor Cuomo’s plan for a 18-mile tunnel under the Long Island Sound from the northern end of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (SOB) to I-95 in Westchester would mean big changes for the Syosset Woodbury area. Not just for the eight or so years that construction is estimated to take, but for the duration the tunnel will be in operation.
According to the Governor’s plans, the tunnel would begin in Syosset a half mile north of where the SOB meets Jericho Turnpike. That area is currently developed with commercial and residential properties. Those properties would have to be purchased, most likely through eminent domain. Property values in the surrounding environs would plummet.
In order to power the equipment a substation would have to be built. In the 2008 plan, it was believed that a 15-20 acre staging area would be needed and that trucks would haul the muck every 3 minutes 24 hours a day.
The tunnel would be expected to carry between 69,000 and 89,000 vehicles per day when completed. According to the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, annual average daily traffic in 2010 on the Queens Midtown Tunnel was 88,014.
Imagine the noise and exhaust from the heavy equipment and vehicles during the estimated eight years of construction, and that estimate might be on the conservative side. Increase in traffic to the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, which would lead to the beginning of the tunnel, would prompt a realignment of the main arteries feeding the expressway - the Long Island Expressway, the Northern State Parkway and Jericho Turnpike. Ancillary roads would be congested with local traffic. The proposal contains no rail hence it doesn’t take cars off the roads but merely reroutes them. Woodbury, Huntington, Plainview, Bethpage, Jericho and Hicksville would also be impacted.
Then there are the tolls themselves. Even with E-Z Pass, there may be wait times and severe traffic congestion.
“If the Long Island Sound Tunnel gets built, Syosset would be devastated. This proposal demonstrates a complete lack of appreciation for the integrity of Syosset and is ignorant of the quality of life that our residents and those in neighboring communities enjoy and value,” said State Senator Carl Marcellino.