Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent desire to “pause” congestion pricing put a shadow on many planned improvements in the MTA’s subway, bus and commuter rail system that were expected to be funded by the new toll program.
Among these was the planned Interborough Express or IBX: a light rail line that would travel, within the Long Island Rail Road and Bay Ridge Freight Line’s right-of-way, from Bay Ridge to Borough Park to Flatbush to East Flatbush to East New York and, from there, into Queens.
Transit advocates’ hopes were dashed Wednesday when the MTA board voted 10-1 to second Hochul’s slamming the brakes on congestion pricing. However, there was also a bright side. The federal Department of Transportation announced $44.7 billion in grants for three projects in New York — one of which was the IBX.
Some $15 million in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants would go toward preparing a planning assessment for the transit link, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The official announcement says the IBX “will shift travelers from higher-risk modes of travel and make street-level improvements that will further improve safety for everyone.”
The IBX, variations of which had been on the drawing board for years, was made an official state project by Hochul in 2022. Its route would connect to as many as 17 subway lines and 52 bus routes, the MTA says. IBX service would be designed to coexist with rail freight.
Also, part of the RAISE grants is $5,664,000 to support planning activities for the Urban Freight Mobility Collaborative. The goal of the collaborative, according to the feds, is “to encourage the replacement of freight vehicles with cargo bikes, waterborne freight and cleaner alternative fuel vehicles,” as well as to identify locations for electric…
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