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Governor Kathy Hochul has asked the New York and New Jersey Port Authority to find an alternative to the disgraced ex-governor. Andrew Cuomo’s $ 2.1 billion “AirTrain” pet project between LaGuardia Airport and East Queens.
“I have asked the port authority to thoroughly examine alternative transit solutions to reduce car traffic and increase connectivity with LaGuardia Airport,” Hochul said in a statement Monday afternoon. – a few hours before elected officials representing the affected section of Queens hold a press conference against the scramble.
“We need to make sure our transportation plans are bold, visionary, and meet the needs of New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “I remain committed to working quickly to rebuild our infrastructure for the 21st century and to create jobs – not just at LaGuardia, but at all of our airports and transit hubs across New York City.”
The AirTrain was a top priority for Cuomo, who moved the project forward despite opposition from some transit advocates and even officials from the Port Authority, the two-state agency that oversees regional airports and is said to have it. built and operated.
Critics, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), questioned the logic of the route, which would require cyclists bound for Manhattan to travel east first – away from it. island – before connecting to the subway at Willets Point and heading back west. . They said it is faster to take a cab or a bus to Midtown and that the cost does not justify the number of passengers who would use it.
Just last week, AirTrain welcomed new skeptics and opponents, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, Borough President of Queens Donovan Richards and two of the borough’s most powerful senators, Leroy Comrie and Mike. Gianaris.
Hochul previously said she was in conversation with Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton about the future of the project.
The project and its questionable route would attract just 6,000 new daily transit riders, government watchdog Reinvent Albany and former city DOT official Jon Orcutt found in a report released in the month. latest.
That comes down to $ 350,000 per runner, according to the report – the most expensive per runner project in history.
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