LaGuardia AirTrain Heads For The Hot Seat At Upcoming Hearings

EAST ELMHURST, QUEENS — Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $2 billion LaGuardia AirTrain proposal will be in the hot seat this week, when members of the public get to weigh in on the divisive project at a series of virtual hearings.

The hearings Tuesday through Thursday are pegged to the release last month of the Federal Aviation Administration's draft environmental impact statement for the project, which assesses how the 1.5-mile railway from Willets Point to LaGuardia Airport would affect its surroundings, as well as the feasibility of other transit options.

The FAA, which is required to "rigorously explore and objectively evaluate all reasonable alternatives," dismissed all 46 alternatives and concluded that the AirTrain would be the best option — drawing criticism from some transit experts that the review criteria were rigged to favor Cuomo's project.

The Federal Aviation Administration will present the findings of the environmental analysis at virtual public workshops Tuesday and Wednesday, then collect on-the-record public comments on the project at three virtual hearings Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The public workshop schedule is:

• Tuesday, Sept. 22: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Event Details
• Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Event Details

The public hearing schedule is:

• Tuesday, Sept. 22: 7:00 p.m. to- 9:00 p.m. Event Details
• Wednesday, Sept. 23: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Event Details
• Thursday, Sept. 24: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Event Details

The deadline for members of the public to submit comments on the environmental review is Oct. 5. Comments may be submitted online, verbally or by mail.