No Bridge/Tunnel Rally Set for March

Senator Carl Marcellino is spearheading a stop the tunnel/bridge event on Thursday, March 1st, at 10:30 AM at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and Beach located at Larabee Avenue, in Oyster Bay, near the main entrance by the boat ramps.

This rally is in direct response to Governor Cuomo’s cross-sound bridge/tunnel plan which originates from either from the Bayville/Oyster Bay area or King’s Park at the end of the Sunken Meadow Parkway and ends in Westchester County.

Cuomo advocated for the crossing (specifically a tunnel) in his State of the State address last month. “We should continue to pursue a tunnel from Long Island to Westchester or Connecticut. DOT has determined it’s feasible. It would be underwater; it would be invisible; it would reduce traffic on the impossibly congested Long Island Expressway and would offer potential significant private investment.”

Without a doubt, local residents I have spoken with are not on board. Neither are local politicians.

More than ten of the nearby and contiguous villages have Mayors that have signed an opposition petition. Mayors from Rye and Port Chester are also against the plan. However, as reported in previous issues of The Leader, opposition seems to be waning, the further you get from the north shore. Members of the business community and those that spearhead economic development are pro-crossing, even at an estimated cost of $55 billion. The cross-sound bridge tunnel was also a talking point in the pitch to Amazon for its east coast warehouse. Although Long Island didn’t make Amazon’s short list, the cross-sound bridge tunnel idea is not going away.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said of the Long Island Sound Crossing: “We cannot be afraid of embracing bold, forward-thinking projects that have the potential to help solve the transit challenges facing our region. At the same time, we must take a hard look to determine what impact the Sound Crossing Project would have on our economy and affected communities.”

Those that oppose the tunnel/bridge are strongly advised to attend the event. A strong turnout will demonstrate to the non-local politicians that this is an initiative that should be a non-starter. There are links to opposition petitions on Senator Carl Marcellino’s Facebook page and on Friends of the Bay’s website: http://friendsofthebay.org/