TIMES, THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 • 24 Queens Board Chairs Concerned Over Cross Harbor Freight Project Options crossing today between the rest of the country, west-of-Hudson, and east-of-Hudson is moved by truck,” Hoffer said. This leads to major congestion on already backed up roads, more air pollution and more damage to road infrastructure. The CHFP hopes to alleviate these problems by creating alternatives to shipping freight by truck. Hoffer presented the specific goals of the study which are: to reduce truck trips; give shippers options to move freight; give the transportation system enhanced resiliency, safety and security; and support the development of intergraded freight transportation land use strategies. The study has come up with 10 build alternatives and a nobuild option. The no-build option means nothing that is not already in the works of being built will be constructed. The 10 build alternatives include five waterborne alternatives and five rail tunnel options. The proposed waterborne alternatives entail the movement of freight using a barge, ferry, or float across the Hudson River. These alternatives include: an enhanced railcar float; a truck float; a truck ferry; a lift on-lift off container barge; and a roll on-roll off container barge. The rail tunnel alternatives involve the construction of a tunnel from New Jersey to Brooklyn to transport freight. These options include: a rail tunnel; a rail tunnel with shuttle service; a rail tunnel with chunnel service; a rail tunnel with automated guided vehicle technology; and a rail tunnel with truck access. Hoffer presented the board with the estimated reduction of trucks on the road if one of these 10 alternatives were chosen. With a waterborne option, up to 600 trucks per day are projected to be removed from major roadways. With a tunnel option, around 5,000 trucks can be taken off the roads each day. “You can see some real live numbers here of the volumes of trucks that would be taken off every single day if we pursued one of these options,” Hoffer said.A ll of these options involve building more supporting infrastructures as well, Hoffer pointed out. With the waterborne options, more freight terminals may need to be built at the waterfront to support them. A rail tunnel would necessitate the construction of more rail yards. This will ultimately end up driving up the cost of any of the alternatives presented. “The estimated costs ... are not cheap. All of this is costly,” Hoffer explained. The estimated cost for a waterborne alternative is between $100 and $600 million, while a tunnel option holds a price tag of $7 billion to $11 billion “depending on what kind of tunnel you choose, how you choose to build it ... and supporting facilities,” Hoffer said. With such a high pricetag for both sets of options, “maybe the answer is not one choice, maybe it’s a combination of choices,” Hoffer mentioned to the board. During the tier I DEIS the level of impact to the surrounding communities was explored and taken into consideration by PANYNJ. “It is something we have to look at in more depth in tier II,” Hoffer said. Members of the board gave their thoughts on the proposed options for the CHFP. Some of the concerns that were raised are the need for land and the impact of constructing rail yards in Queens and Brooklyn. “It’s a major problem for Queens. It’s a major problem for Brooklyn,” said Community Board 5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri, who added that construction through local communities is “almost an impossibility.” “There is really no way to have this plan utilized if you look to do the rail way without severely impacting my district,” added City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, whose district includes the Fresh Pond Railyard in Glendale. “If there is going to be a rail ... then there has to be a real commuter advantage.” With everything in the very early stages Hoffer invited the public to the hearings set up to listen to what members of the community have to say about this program and how they feel it will impact their communities. “It is time for the public to start weighing in on the range of choices that we’re looking at,” Hoffer said. Seven public meetings have been set up in New York and New Jersey. Two New York public hearings will be held on Friday, Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Baruch College located at 151 East 25th St.; and Thursday, Jan. 29 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Queens Borough Hall located at 120-55 Queens Blvd. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- Cuff R’wood Man In Game Shop Heist -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- responded to the store after receiving a 911 call about the robbery. The officers reportedly obtained a description of the perpetrator and began searching the surrounding area. About 10 minutes after the heist, law enforcement sources said, Police Officers Richard Shubella and Nicholas Mancuso of the 104th Precinct observed Rodriguez—who fit the robber’s description—walking in the area of Seneca Avenue. Reportedly, he was spotted wearing a gun holster around his waist. The officers reportedly approached Rodriguez and, despite experiencing resistance, managed to place him in handcuffs, it was reported. In searching the suspect, police said, the officers recovered a .45-caliber firearm inside the holster on Rodriguez’s waist. Reportedly, they also found 18 video games in his possession. According to authorities, Rodriguez was previously convicted in July 2010 of an assault in Nassau County. He was taken into custody last Saturday on charges of firstdegree armed robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, grand larceny and resisting arrest. Court records indicated Rodriguez was arraigned the following day, Jan. 11, in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Michael Yavinsky, who ordered him held on $75,000 bail. He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 26. Shop Locally! SSuuppppoorrtt YYoouurr NNeeiigghhbboorrhhoooodd MMeerrcchhaannttss!! Plans For New Dormitories At Glendale Yeshiva that each student would be provided about 100 sq. ft. of living space, which is the size of a standard bedroom in a one- to two-family home. But the dormitory could reduce the number of buses traveling to and from the yeshiva every school day, Giordano noted. Currently, 15 school buses transport students between the yeshiva and their homes located in other parts of Queens and in Brooklyn. According to information he received, Giordano noted, having an on-campus dormitory would reduce the number of daily bus trips to between four and six. Giordano stated the board is investigating whether YGS would need to seek a zoning change in order to build the dormitory. The yeshiva site, which was formerly Monarch Knitting Mills, remains zoned for manufacturing use, but existing city zoning codes allow for hotels to be developed on these sites asof right. The two-story yeshiva opened in 2007 and includes classrooms, a lecture hall, a kitchen and cafeteria, a mikvah (a traditional Jewish bathing room) and a library. Portable trailers located on the site are also used for classrooms and meeting space. Since the yeshiva opened, the YGS permitted various community functions on its campus, including hosting meetings of the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol during the summer and opening a community garden along 88th Street. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- Ben Carson News And Opinion poverty with no chance of advancing themselves economically through their own efforts. I realize that it is not a politically correct thing to say, but the real problem is not the existence of wealthy people among us. Rather, it is the feeling of helplessness and dependency that has been propagated falsely throughout many facets of our society. Perhaps it would be wise for our government to look back at the history of our nation and realize that the unprecedented rise of America to pinnacle status occurred because people knew that if they worked hard and were innovative and productive, they and their families would be the beneficiaries of that labor. I am not saying that taxes should not be paid in a fair manner, but I am saying that the government will never be successful in resolving income disparity and other social problems by taking from the haves and giving to the have-nots. The great equalizer in America remains education. A good education or the acquisition of technical skills provides tremendous options for everyone, regardless of their birth circumstances. We live in a country where people are free to move without penalty to any state where jobs are available. We need to emphasize the fact that almost any kind of employment confers knowledge and skills that become valuable when trying to move up the economic ladder. One also acquires contacts that can be quite useful for those with knowledge and skill. Those who have achieved great financial success should be encouraged to invest in their fellow Americans, with the return on investment being the transformation from dependency to proud achiever of the American dream. Ben S. Carson is professor emeritus of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University and author of the new book “One Nation: What We Can All Do To Save America's Future” (Sentinel). -CONTINUED FROM PG. 4-
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