For one of the first times, the public got a look inside the Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s (MTA) five-year capital projects plan for 2010-14. Holding the hearing last Thursday at the Nassau Legislative building in Mineola were Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington), who represents Sen. majority on MTA Capital program review board, and Sen. Chuck Fuschillo (R - Merrick), the Sen. minority board representative, and ranking member of the Senate transportation committee. The five-year plan must be unanimously approved by the board by Dec. 30. Each five-year plan is compiled by looking through a 20-year projection plan to establish priorities for each five-year period.

The MTA submitted the plan to the board on Oct. 1, and the board has a 90-day period for review. During the review period, Johnson announced a series of public hearings on the MTA plan, with the one in Mineola focusing on the Long Island Railroad. Other hearings will be held in NYC and in the Hudson Valley. Fuschillo thanked Johnson for holding the hearings, saying they were “long overdue.” Residents can also read the plan and submit comments via a link on Sen. Johnson’s website: www.cragijohnson.nysenate.gov.

The LIRR is still in a “recovery mode,” President Helena Williams began, as the railroad has suffered a six percent decline in ridership from the all-time highs of 87.4 million riders in 2008. “Capital investment is the only way the MTA will be able to sustain a safe, reliable service that it’s been providing throughout the metropolitan transportation district,” Williams continued, making it clear that her goal was to increase ridership.

The MTA’s five-year $28.08 billion proposed capital projects plan includes $2.75 billion for LIRR core programs, which includes purchasing new M-7 train cars to replace the older M-3 cars, which have been in service singe the mid-1980’s. About 170 M-3 cars would be replaced over the course of two plan programs simply because of the cost. 84 cars would be replaced in the 2010-14 plan. Also included is annual track replacement and at-grade crossing rehabilitation and a plan for a double track along the 17-mile corridor between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale. A single track currently exists for 12 miles of the stretch. Williams stated that the right of way for placement of a double track currently exists, and that the original plan for two tracks ran out of money in 1987. The core program portion also calls for new switches and a new layout for the Jamaica hub. Williams briefly touched on how the LIRR plans to convert service from Jamaica to Brooklyn into a “scoot” service - similar to a shuttle that would just go back and forth - when East Side Access opens in 2017.

The cost for LIRR service to Grand Central in the five-year plan is approximately $4.052 billion. The total cost of East Side Access would be about $7.05 billion. Williams testified that she wants to give riders options at their “home stations” to take a train directly to either Penn Station or to Grand Central. She also sees the same zone to zone pricing as currently exists for riders to access either Penn Station or Grand Central. The plan also calls for two new rail yards which, according to Williams, are needed to service Grand Central once East Side Access is completed. Williams stated that the LIRR is looking at locations for the new yards in the mid-Suffolk area near Ronkonkoma. An additional $240 million is allocated for safety and security. Williams also pointed to a new $60 million signal and switch station at Valley Stream which was upgraded from having to physically pull levels in order to change switches to a new system of computers. The old system was installed in the 1930’s.

The May 2 bailout package approved by the State Legislature only covers two-years of funding for the capital plan. The bailout also included a payroll tax that only generates about $6 billion in debt service for the $28 billion capital plan. “By allowing us to move forward with a five year program, identified needs, two-years funding, enables us to have a continuity in investment,” Williams said as she acknowledged the funding gap. “You do keep continuity in place by adopting a five-year program and going forward with the two years that are funded.”

Johnson focused his line of questioning on two points: “are the priorities in the plan the right ones” and how New York could afford a plan with a $10 billion funding gap. The Senator pointed out that projects have money already allocated to them for years three, four and five of the plan, and could potentially be halted before completion due to a lack of funding. He hypothesized that MTA Board members probably believe the “$10 billion is going to magically appear” as the Legislature will find a revenue stream to fund the plan. “It’s not something where we have to answer it immediately,” replied Williams, saying that there was a two-year window for the money to be raised. Williams did mention congestion pricing and East River tolls as “options” for revenue.

But Johnson was concerned “that what we have is an MTA Board that is stuck in an old mindset,” one that is more preoccupied with increasing the size of capital plans and so-called “mega-projects.”

Sen. Fuschillo questioned what in the plan were to be scaled back, and Williams targeted the double track between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale.

Another large-scale project that has drawn more than its share of controversy is the $1.5 billion third track project along the Main Line. Johnson, Fuschillo and Williams all reiterated several times that there was no funding for third track despite language in plan. Johnson singled this out, questioning why it was in the five-year plan instead of, in his opinion, in the 20-year needs assessment. Williams explanation was that there is $200 million in the existing program, which would be spent on “improvements that make sense for that corridor.”

Several representatives from villages along the main line that would be affected by the third track were present at the hearing. Floral Park Trustee Tom Tweedy was the first to speak, blaming the language in the plan that mentioned the third track on special interest groups. Tweedy called the third track a “multibillion dollar boondoggle,” adding that including the project into the 2010-14 plan “subverts the entire review process.”

New Hyde Park Village Trustee Don Barbieri read a letter on behalf of mayor Daniel Petruccio requesting access to the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) because of the potential impact on his Village’s master plan for the revitalization of Jericho Turnpike. The letter said that withholding the document would severely hinder the Village’s ability to plan for its future. Williams stated that the Federal Dept. of Transportation would only release an official DEIS, not a preliminary DEIS, which is the only document that currently exists. New Hyde Park was also hopeful that a program would be created to assist the village in developing next-generation housing that is “transportation oriented.”

Another point made in the New Hyde Park letter was a request that any “strategic track enhancement” within the Village should be identified and plans coordinated with the Village as would removal of any structure. “As a best practice, the MTA should coordinate any and all contemplated projects with the local communities which will host them or be impacted by them,” said Barbieri. As such, New Hyde Park requested from the LIRR full disclosure of any project beginning from the drawing board phase. Barbieri also took exception to the fact that the plan does not address disabled / wheelchair access at stations between New Hyde Park and Jamaica.

Mineola Village Clerk Joe Scalero read a similar letter from mayor Jack Martins that echoed New Hyde Park’s statements about the DEIS, notifying the village about strategic track enhancements and transit oriented housing. Specific to the Mineola letter were points about addressing the drainage around the train station and the Third Ave. plaza, and a request for a study on a proposed shuttle between Mineola and Oyster Bay stations in conjunction with all municipalities that abut the line including the Towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay.

Remarks from Westbury Deputy Mayor Joan Boes were centered on an 18-year dispute over the Ellison Ave. bridge over the LIRR tracks. According to Boes, the bridge’s infrastructure is crumbling and the compromised steel structure is leading to holes in the pavement. While Westbury has patched the holes using steel plates, the State Dept. of Transportation has agreed with the village that bridge maintenance is the responsibility of the LIRR. Williams said that funds were allocated for repairs in the 2005-09 capital program and would be moved upon, but no timeline was available save for Williams’ promise of a future meeting with the mayor. Fuschillo remarked that the almost two-decade long wait for repairs was “absurd.”

Meanwhile, Michael White of the Long Island Regional Planning Board urged the senators to approve the plan in its current form without modifications, saying the system must be transformed into a 21st century transportation network which would move commuters out of their cars.