Infrastructure

Cuomo announces $5.6B plan to upgrade the LIRR

Five-year reconstruction project will mean more labor jobs

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The Long Island Rail Road will undergo a transformation that has been pending for roughly 70 years.

At a July 12 luncheon with the Long Island Association, a business group, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the State Senate’s approval of a $2 billion plan to build a third track on the railroad’s Main Line. The project is part of a series of 100 improvements, totaling $5.6 billion, that Cuomo said will improve the area’s infrastructure, increase economic prosperity and create more jobs.

The third track, to be built between Floral Park and Hicksville, will allow more trains to travel to and from Long Island, easing the reverse commute for people living in Manhattan. It will also eliminate all seven street-level grade crossings within the project corridor.

To avoid possible disturbances that the construction could have on the surrounding area, Cuomo said that the project would also include noise-abating tracks and walls and environmental beautification. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.

In addition to construction of a third track, stations will be redone and enhanced in Bellmore, Merrick, Baldwin, Great Neck, Valley Stream and 33 other communities across Long Island.

Area laborers say they look forward to the governor’s plan to provide more job opportunities over the next five years. “This is a critical investment for laborers because it will provide good jobs and wage pensions,” said John Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor. “I’m looking forward to this project putting people to work, strengthening the economy and making Long Island a more viable community.”

Durso added that he looks forward to the possibility that his home value might increase as a result of the third track being located near his house.

“The is a critical investment in the future of Long Island,” said James Versocki, of Sea Cliff, adding that the construction will not only help laborers on Long Island, but also business owners and commuters traveling to and from Manhattan. “I have a business that’s based on Long Island, but I travel into the city quite frequently for clients, so the reliability of the trains is integral.”

At the end of his presentation, Cuomo said the Main Line project would be one example of a $100 billion statewide infrastructure program. “We are daring to imagine a better New York,” he said.