Don't let Port Authority condemn a waterfront park without unbiased alternatives review

The Port Authority has proposed to construct a $2 billion, 40-foot high AirTrain on top of the Flushing Bay Promenade alongside the World’s Fair Marina in Queens. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project largely avoids discussion of the impacts on parkland use and parkland alienation, and it glosses over the potential increase in ridership on the already-overcrowded 7 subway line. In lieu of that analysis, it points to a one-time $8.5 million mitigation payment for parkland upgrades, an insultingly small figure for a 13.16-acre waterfront park in New York City where other waterfront parks receive roughly $4.5 million per acre for construction.

Most glaring is the summary dismissal of 45 alternatives that could improve access to the airport with potentially less harm to the affected local community. The benefits and impacts of bus rapid transit, ferry service, extension of the N-W subway line directly from Manhattan, and other proposed AirTrain routes were never fully compared against the project favored by Port Authority.

Join Riverkeeper and the other members of the Sensible Way to LGA Coalition by sending the a letter below calling for a meaningful alternatives review that comports with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other foundational environmental laws.

Instructions:

• Read the sample letter (below) and edit it as you see fit. Include an opening statement about why this issue is important to you. Personalized letters have a greater impact!

• Complete the required fields and click “Send Message.”

Recipients

Mr. Andrew Brooks, FAA, Environmental Program Manager

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Message

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Dear: [Decision Maker],

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I am concerned that the proposed AirTrain through World's Fair Promenade in Flushing Meadows Corona Park will forever mar the use of the parkland. I urge you to afford meaningful consideration of all alternatives that may significantly improve access to the airport, take cars off the road, and have minimal impacts on local communities and the environment. These alternatives include, but are not limited to:

- Ferry Service (Alternative 3A);
 - Expediting the M60 Bus Route (Alternative 4B);
 - Providing free bus service on the Q70 Bus Route (Alternative 4C);
 - Extending the N-W subway line to the Airport (Alternatives 8A-8D); 
 - Adding travel lanes on the Grand Central Parkway (Alternative 7A); and
 - "West" alternative alignments for the AirTrain (Alternatives 9K-9Q).

Specifically, I urge you to discard the unreasonably narrow criteria used to eliminate alternatives from consideration without due consideration, especially the "time-certain" criteria, which prohibits on-road options, and the prohibitions on impacts to peak hour transit or local infrastructure, which are unreasonable in a city as densely populated as New York City. Instead, please evaluate and compare the alternatives on the merits by considering the severity of such impacts on the local communities and by weighing those impacts against each alternative's relative benefits.

If, after a meaningful alternatives review, you do find that the proposed AirTrain is the best solution for the region's traffic congestion and will not have an unduly disproportionate impact on the community of East Elmhurst, I urge you to evaluate the significant adverse impacts to the use of World's Fair Promenade, and the health and homes of nearby community members, as well as the cumulative impact of this project and other planned development projects on the already-overcrowded 7-train. Mitigation for such impacts must be thoroughly planned and implemented according to the magnitude of the harm caused by the AirTrain. If the AirTrain moves forward, nearby communities and the parkland they rely on should be left better off than before construction.

Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

Respectfully submitted,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]