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8/4/2023
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this week announced WSP USA Inc. has been chosen to perform the environmental review for the proposed Interborough Express, a light-rail transit project that would connect communities in Brooklyn and Queens to 17 subway lines and the MTA Long Island Rail Road, according to a news release.
The consultant will be directed by MTA Construction & Development. The review will be coordinated with other transportation projects and regional studies.
"By building on already existing infrastructure, the Interborough Express will shave time off commutes and make it easier to connect to subway lines across the route," Hochul said in a press release..
The Interborough Express would use the existing right-of-way of the Bay Ridge Branch, which is a freight-rail line that runs through Brooklyn and Queens, connecting ethnically and socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods. The project would include several new connections in neighborhoods that currently lack efficient connections to each other, and in some cases, to Manhattan.
The project could provide potential connections to 17 subway lines serving areas of Brooklyn and Queens while initial studies indicate up to 115,000 daily weekday riders with annual ridership of approximately four million. Travel times between Brooklyn and Queens could be reduced by up to 30 minutes each way, depending on travel distance.
On Aug. 16, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold a virtual town hall on the project.