Long Island, NY – It would be the world’s longest highway tunnel, running more than 16 miles under the west end of Long Island Sound.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The cost is estimated at $10 billion — and it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime. A developer wants to build the tunnel with private money, recouping his costs by charging drivers $25 each way and by selling advertising.
Developer Vincent Polimeni says the tunnel between Oyster Bay and Rye on the New York mainland would let travelers going between Long Island and New England avoid crowded New York City highways and help alleviate traffic congestion.
While not expected to be completed before 2025, the proposal received renewed attention this past week when a state Senate committee held a hearing.
Polimeni acknowledges his idea was initially met with “smirks and skepticism.” But he added: “The more people looked at the plan, the larger circle of intrigued citizens who said `tell me more.'” [AP]
Not going to happen. There will be so much objection from LI residents–imagine how much it would increase traffic in Nassau/Queens/Brooklyn, esp from truckers looking for another route from New England to points south.
Other, more hare-brained, ideas, include a tunnel following that route but continuing to a new Hudson River crossing near the Tappan Zee, as well as a bridge from LI to Plum Island to Fishers Island to New England.
Hey for all those complaining about how expensive it is DONT USE IT!!!!!!!!!! plain and simple…. i am wondering if its those same ppl complaining own a lexus, and a million dollar house in brooklyn, go on vacations, etc…. then i dont hear u complaining how expensive that is!!!!!!
Dont forget this is not to be completed by at least 2025, the verrazano will probably be around $25 by that time.
sounds a little claustrophobic to me
The highest priority for NYC transportation should be a direct link between the northern end of the Turnpike and the Thruway (possibly by connecting to and upgrading the Palisades Parkway, although that will never happen). This will allow the 80% of the truck traffic on the GWB that is actually going to New England to bypass the city altogether.
This isn’t such a bad idea. Twenty-five to $50 for either businesspeople or harried families? In a heartbeat.
it sounds like a new development for tunnels is an importance to the n.y. area if the city needs help Hamas is bees doing it for years!!!
Charlie:
this will not be funded by tax paying dollars so why should we discuss prioritizing the tax dollar paid transportation bills and the privatly paid transportation ideas together?
this is a good idea being funded privatly, it will help the developer as well as many others so y not let him go ahead?
2:23pm:
3:12pm is right about the truck traffic. The freight railroads to the northeastern US are totally inadequate and the 80+ year old idea of a freight tunnel underneath the Hudson is the only thing that has a chance of reducing the truck traffic. Remember that most of the trucks going to/from Long Island have to get across the Hudson, which would mean either the Cross Bronx Expressway and the George Washington Bridge, or the Cross Westchester Expressway and the Tappan Zee Bridge. Neither route has any excess capacity and the Tappan Zee Bridge itself needs to be replaced. Regarding opening CT to LI, I-95 in CT also has no excess capacity.
The Sound Crossing is an idea whose time never came. Build the NJ-Brooklyn railroad tunnel, replace the Tappan Zee Bridge with a road and rail crossing, and build the Second Avenue Subway. Those should be the highest transportation priorities for the region.
The Tunnel from Brooklyn to N. Jersey is a bigger prioraty than this Long Island Tunnel.
12:23 You don’t get it. How much does it cost already to drive from Oyster Bay to the Throgs’ Neck bridge, pay the toll there, then drive up through the Bronx and Westchester to the Connecticut border? Gas? Tolls? It is 40 miles. In the middle of the night it takes an hour. Rush hour, double. It is well worth the $25.
What about truck traffic, for which time saved is measured in gallons of diesel, driver salary, quicker delivery, etc. That’s a lot of trucks out of the City.
This isn’t really for commuters. but it would be well used and would open up CT and Boston to people and businesses in LI
How can we not afford $50 dollars a day? If your company costs a traveling employee more than $40 an hour and the tunnel saves them 2 hours of travel to avoid the city then they ate ahead of the game! I do not think it is intended for the commutter but for business travel to avoid NYC
Many people in that part of town can easily afford the 50$ daily.
This idea is about 40 years old. Robert Moses and Nelson Rockefeller pushed it, except that they wanted a bridge rather than a tunnel. I don’t see how this will reduce congestion; it would likely increase congestion on I-95 and I-287 in Westchester County and Connecticut — assuming people actually use the tunnel. (How many commuters can afford $50/day?)