Cuomo champions Connecticut-L.I. bridge, tunnel

Artist's rendering of a proposed bridge from Oyster Bay, Long Island to Rye that was pushed by famed urban planner Robert Moses and late New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. Opposition in Westchester County and in Connecticut killed the proposal, but the idea continues to surface. less Artist's rendering of a proposed bridge from Oyster Bay, Long Island to Rye that was pushed by famed urban planner Robert Moses and late New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. Opposition in Westchester County and in ... more Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Cuomo champions Connecticut-L.I. bridge, tunnel 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Despite the naysayers who said it couldn’t be done, the Verrazano Bridge was constructed. So was the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River and the Long Island Expressway.

Why not a bridge from Long Island Sound to Connecticut — or a tunnel deep beneath the waterway?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday suggested it’s not an unrealistic idea and said he’s asking for $5 million to study the feasibility of the idea.

“Maybe we consider a tunnel or a bridge to Connecticut,’’ Cuomo told a meeting of the Long Island Association, an economic development group. “Right now the only way to get off the Island is to drive all the way to the end, or you have to be a great swimmer.’’

A bridge over or a tunnel under Long Island Sound is not a new idea and was first proposed in 1938. Various landing points have been considered over the years, including New Haven, Bridgeport and Stamford but also Rye, N.Y., and other Westchester communities.

Recent estimates have pegged the cost of a tunnel across the Sound — which is as much as 18 miles wide at points — at $10 billion or more.

Connecticut officials reacted cautiously to the idea on Tuesday and a few privately said the idea is far-fetched, unlikely to happen and would not cut comunting time.

“We have laid out our 30-year vision for transportation to grow jobs, boost our economy, and deliver a best-in-class infrastructure,” said Devon Puglia, a spokesman for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who has proposed spending $100 billion over the next 30 years to improve the state’s rail, bridge and highway systems.

“We believe it's important that our vision aligns with those of other states," Puglia said, noting the governor’s plan does not include a Sound bridge or tunnel.

More Information Cuomo wants $5 million feasibility study Estimated cost of tunnel: $10 billion plus Sound’s widest point: 18 miles

Long history

Other state officials privately said the project represents a monumental challenge in terms of funding and environmental issues and pointed out a truck traveling from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson would take the better part of an hour, offering little advantage to take the route.

James Cameron, founder of the Commuter Action Group, said the idea harkens back to a failed effort in the 1960s to build a tunnel.

“With Amtrak also considering a tunnel to Connecticut, it would seem that the two plans should be combined,” Cameron said.

“A cross-sound highway alone would seem foolish if it could be combined with Amtrak's idea of a high speed rail link,” Cameron added. “The current cross-sound ferry between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson certainly shows there is a market, both for goods and passenger-cars, looking to ‘cut the corner’ and avoid the Throgs Neck and Whitestone bridges.”

Judd Everhart, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, declined specific comment but noted several years ago a proposal to ferry truck traffic from New London to Long Island was killed by local opposition on the New York side.

Still, Cuomo was optimistic his idea can become reality.

“It can be done,’’ the New York governor said of the Long Island crossing, as well as the new Tappan Zee Bridge and LaGuardia Airport. “At one time we were better at planning and envisioning. We were proud, ambitious, we were New Yorkers and we believed in ourselves. We can, and have gotten big projects done.’’

Previous proposals, including one by master builder Robert Moses to link Oyster Bay to Stamford, were defeated by financial or engineering concerns, or by opposition by residents at either end of the proposed link.

Congested roads

The Long Island Association asked in a letter to Cuomo that an upcoming, $5 million feasibility study of a tunnel across Long Island Sound also look at the option of a bridge.

Wayne Ugolik, a New York transportation planner in 2000 told the website NYCroads that: “Every car that would go from Long Island to Connecticut would be offset by a car that came from Connecticut to Long Island. We don't see any reason to go any further because we don't see the congestion relief,’’

One 1966 proposal would have continued I-91 in New Haven across the Sound to Shoreham on Long Island.

A 1968 study by the consulting firm Howard, Needles, Tammen and Bergendoff recommended that Route 8/25 be extended from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson, according to nycroads.com. That route is now served by a ferry.

Newsday, the daily newspaper serving Long Island, reported in-depth on what those crossings would mean, determining that 15,000 permanent jobs would be created on the Connecticut side, and tourism would increase on both sides by avoiding New York City.