It seems that the project is getting even more controversial, for whatever reason
A high-stakes game of chicken played out at midnight Friday on the proposed third track of the Long Island Rail Road.
Faced with a looming Republican veto that would scrap the $2 billion project, the MTA withdrew its proposal that was more than a year in the making and then immediately resubmitted it, buying the project another 30 days of review.
The state’s little-known Capital Program Review Board, comprised of representatives of both chambers of the state Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had until midnight Friday to tacitly OK the spending plan or to issue a veto that would effectively kill the project. The MTA’s board had already approved the proposal, which was an amendment to its five-year capital spending plan.
But Friday afternoon, LIBN reported that state Sen. Martin Goldin, R-Brooklyn, who casts the Republican vote on the panel for Sen. Majority Leader John Flanagan, R- East Northport, had threatened to veto the plan.
The reasons for the last-minute objections were not made public, despite a growing consensus that the third track project was essential to Long Island’s economic future. Mayors of several communities along the main line said their earlier reservations about the project had been addressed and were now on board, according to published reports.
However, the ongoing chaos in New York’s subway system may have played a role. Following a derailment of a train beneath Harlem on Tuesday, Cuomo declared a state of emergency in the MTA, promising $1 billion to address the multiple infrastructure failures that have plagued the system for months. It was not immediately clear where that money was coming from.
RELATED: LIRR third-track plan in jeopardy of Flanagan veto
In parliamentary terms, the MTA has bought itself another 30 days to address lingering Republican concerns. During that period, any member of the spending tribunal could veto the plan, which would force the MTA’s board to vote again on the expansion proposal, according to a report published in Newsday.
Flanagan issued a statement late Friday acknowledging his objections:
“Given the derailments and service disruptions that have jeopardized rider safety and paralyzed the region’s mobility, the withdrawal of this proposed amendment will provide the MTA…with the opportunity to develop a comprehensive solution to the ongoing commuter crisis,” Flanagan said.
In a statement, Kevin Law, CEO of the Long Island Association, a major proponent of the third-track, said he expects that Senate Republicans “will ultimately do the right thing for Long Island and allow the third track to move forward.”
Flanagan’s comments offered hope that the project was not dead. “I look forward to reviewing the MTA’s forthcoming plan and working together to return our region’s mass transportation system to a state of good repair,” he said in the statement, issued less than two hours before the midnight deadline. “Long Island Rail Road commuters and their families deserve nothing less.”
The third track proposal dates to January, 2016, when Cuomo and LIRR officials determined increased capacity was needed along a nearly 10 mile corridor of the main line stretching from New Hyde Park to Hicksville. That section of two tracks routinely creates rush-hour bottlenecks and delays that could be alleviated by an additional track, proponents say.
The plan also calls for upgrades to several stations, new parking garages, sound barriers and the elimination of numerous grade-crossings.
Link to article: http://libn.com/2017/07/01/mta-pulls-third-track-plan-over-republican-veto-threat/
This is getting rediculous.
