8 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 20, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Port Authority exec responds to
concerns regarding LGA AirTrain
Photo: Jenna Bagcal/QNS
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Port Authority Executive Director Rick
Cotton spoke with QNS about the LGA
AirTrain following recent comments
made against the project’s current plan by
Queens lawmakers, emphasizing that the
$2 billion that is allocated for the project
won’t cost taxpayer money and is “within
the authority and power of the Port
Authority.”
“Our funding is limited to the facilities
that we operate, so the money that is
going into the AirTrain and the money
that is going into LaGuardia Airport,
have both the requirements and they
meet the requirements for our spending
and our fi nancing,” Cotton said. “No no
one has the ability to divert that funding
to other projects that are not either
owned or operated by the Port Authority.
So it is simply not accurate to raise questions
such as ‘Why don’t we take that
funding and apply it to other potentially
worthwhile projects?’ It simply is not
legal to do that.”
Cotton’s response comes aft er Senator
Jessica Ramos and Councilman Costa
Constantinides told QNS that the LGA
AirTrain needs a “comprehensive plan
for the people in our East Elmhurst community”
and a plan that won’t be at the
“expense of our already precious ecosystem.”
Ramos mentioned that the funds
“would be better spent improving our
infrastructure and providing better transportation
alternatives for the people who
make Queens thrive.”
In response to the elected offi cial’s suggestion,
Cotton said that while other projects
“may very well be worthwhile” the
PA’s funding is “limited to facilities that
the Port Authority either owns or
operates and comes within the
the mandate of the of the organization.”
When asked why some
of the 47 options the FAA
reviewed included possible
subway alternatives, Cotton
said that those alternatives
had “multiple problems” that
involved “building in very densely populated
residential or commercial areas.”
Cotton added that PA is committed
to minimizing “to the maximum extent
the impact” of the project by taking
“robust steps” to improve the Flushing
Bay Promenade, plant trees and “minimize
the construction impact.”
According to Cotton, the FAA is in
the midst of their environmental review
and is developing a draft environmental
impact statement, which is projected
to be issued around mid-year 2020.
Once the FAA submits their draft , they
will have a public comment portion of the
draft around their third quarter, which is
between July and September.
A fi nal environmental impact study by
the FAA is expected around their second
quarter in 2021, between April and June.
Aft er that, Cotton said construction will
start “as soon as possible if they approve
the current route” (Willets Point to LGA
terminals).
When asked whether he understands
the concerns raised from community
members and Sensible Way to LGA, a
Rick Cotton next to a rendering of LaGuardia Airport.
coalition of Queens residents and businesses,
Cotton said “they’ve had extensive
dialogue with the community.”
“In response to the community, we
moved the route from the median of the
Grand Central Parkway to the northern
side of it,” Cotton said. “Th is is the route
that has the minimal amount of impact
on the community that it is possible to
achieve and still build the AirTrain.”
Cotton added, “We recognize that there
will be some impacts but we are working
very hard to avoid them. But I believe
it’s also important to note that, as we have
done with the airport itself we will do
with the AirTrain, which is to the maximum
extent have benefi ts accrue to the
community.”
In January, Bronx Councilman
Fernando Cabrera and Manhattan
Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who
chairs the Committee on Transportation,
led a rally with Queens residents calling
for oversight and a ULURP process
for the LGA AirTrain in front
of City Hall. Th e councilmen said
they planned to hold a public hearing
on Jan. 29 with City
Council Speaker
Corey Johnson.
But, according
to a Council spokesperson, “no hearing
on the AirTrain was ever scheduled, no
date was ever set, nothing was canceled.”
A Council spokesperson mentioned
that Council Member Moya sent a letter
asking the state Legislature to hold
hearings, since the state has jurisdiction
over the Port Authority. Moya’s offi ce did
not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Moya previously told QNS that “it’s
important to remember that the city has no
authority over the project. Authorization
for the project was passed through the
state Legislature. Accordingly, members
of the public should make their voices
heard at the state level.”
Port Authority Spokesperson Th omas
Topousis said that the LGA AirTrain project
“is not subject to the city’s
Uniform Land Use Review
Procedure (ULURP). In
AirTrain’s case, the
project was approved
by a near unanimous
vote by the state
Legislature, precluding
any requirement
for ULURP.”
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