Consider Noise, Traffic In Queens During Transit Plan Review: Pols

QUEENS, NY — A group of lawmakers concerned about the noise and traffic that two long-awaited transit plans could bring to central Queens asked project leaders to keep their constituents in mind as the plans develop.

In February, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that a review of the Port Authority's long-stalled Cross Harbor Rail Freight project — an underwater tunnel linking New York City freight rail lines to the national rail network across the Hudson — is back on track, and will work "in concert" with the Interborough Express, a proposed subway line running between Brooklyn and Queens on some of the same freight lines.

Transit officials, lawmakers, and advocates have mostly celebrated these projects, citing their positive impacts on climate change, decongestion, and access citywide — the tunnel would reportedly remove 1,800 trucks from NYC streets per-day, and the new train would serve about 1 million daily riders, most of whom live in transit-starved neighborhoods, according to the MTA.

In a letter to the governor and Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, though, six lawmakers expressed concern about the projects, saying that they could bring "unhealthy" noise pollution and increased train and truck traffic to central Queens neighborhoods.

"We understand the significance of these projects as well as the potential benefits they may provide to our city, including decongesting our streets, expanding public transit, and reducing carbon emissions. But without prioritizing noise mitigation, these projects may prove detrimental to the health and quality of life of the surrounding communities," reads the letter signed by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng and several other lawmakers whose districts encompass Forest Hills.

An initial study found that the freight tunnel would likely cause noise pollution and vibrations in Maspeth, Ridgewood, Middle Village, and Glendale — areas located near the freight lines — which is of major concern to the lawmakers.

"This acute exposure to freight rail exceeds being an annoyance—it is unhealthy," the letter reads, pointing to studies that show how train noise and vibrations can have negative impacts on mood and sleep.

Lawmakers, correctly pointing out that the Interborough Express would bring new subway stops to central Queens, were also worried about traffic.

"The Cross Harbor Freight Program and Interborough Express would drastically increase the train traffic through those already affected neighborhoods," the letter reads.

In addition to train traffic, the lawmakers noted that the tunnel could increase truck traffic in some central Queens neighborhoods (per the initial environmental review study), despite drastically reducing the overall number of trucks on the city's streets.

"These additional trucks have the potential to cause noise pollution, worsen traffic, and lower the local air quality," lawmakers wrote. "Unless measures are taken to ensure that the harmful effects of these trucks are mitigated, it is unacceptable for these neighborhoods to bear these burdens."

The second phase of the Cross Harbor Rail Freight tunnel's environmental review, which stalled during the pandemic, is now underway, also taking into consideration a couple of project alternatives. This review is necessary before any project can get federal funding.

Seeing how the tunnel could connect to the Interborough Express will be part of the review, said the governor.

Last month, the MTA also noted that it might look into how the Brooklyn to Queens transit line could link up with a transit route to LaGuardia Airport, which is currently being studied in lieu of Andrew Cuomo's derided Air Train.

Related Coverage:

• Queens To Brooklyn Train Proposal Back On Track, Hochul Promises
• Queens To Brooklyn Train Could Link With LaGuardia Airport: MTA