B'klyn Pol Has Unique Answer to Island Traffic Woes: A Tunnel

Staten Island Advance - Friday, October 26, 2007

A city councilman from Brooklyn is proposing a tunnel as a way to alleviate traffic congestion on Staten Island, as well as connecting the borough to the rest of the city's subway system.

"Congestion is a regional problem and requires a regional solution," said Lew Fidler (D- Brooklyn), explaining today the plan he will propose next Thursday in Brooklyn prior to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's hearing on congestion pricing for Manhattan.

The Staten Island hearing will be held Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Williamson Theatre, Center for The Arts on the campus of the College of Staten Island, Willowbrook.

Fidler revealed that his proposed tunnel would most likely begin at the Staten Island Railway hub in the St. George Ferry Terminal, travel under the New York Harbor, and connect to 65 Street in Brooklyn, part of the 4th Avenue line.

"In order to get off Staten Island, residents have to use one fossil-fueled vehicle or another -- car or bus," said Fidler. "It's ridiculous that the fastest growing borough has no access to the rest of the city."

Along with the Staten Island tunnel, Fidler's ambitious nine-point plan also includes sinking Brooklyn's Gowanus Expressway underground, and creating the long-discussed Cross Harbor Tunnel. 
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By Doug Auer
Reprinted here with permission from the