Tragically ARC is dead – or Not – . The Access to the Region core would have allowed twice as many New jersey commuter trains at peak hour as today, using a new tunnel under the Hudson. While – understandably- a few neighbors rejoice because the Fan Plants would have turned their apartments into dark holes, overall this is a terrible blow to our district and its residents who suffer from continuously increasing car and bus congestion. The air is not dark , but our lungs are. Our district has the third highest rate of asthma hospitalization in Manhattan.
How will the commuters come ? The only solution will be more commuter buses. Unfortunately there is no infrastructure currently in place to host them and their impact on our streets and our life is enormous. Speaker Quinn sent a letter to Governor Patterson to remind him that the cancellation of the ARC project will free up significant Port Authority’s funding. Such funding should be reallocated to study and build a garage for Commuter, Charter and Tour buses which had been factored in the Hudson Yards’ EIS.