Rye City forms committee to look at Westchester tunnel proposal

Rye City officials and residents will be taking a closer look at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to build a tunnel linking Long Island to Westchester County.

The city council established The Long Island Tunnel Advisory Committee at its Feb. 8 meeting.

The seven-member committee will be comprised of two members of the city council, two members of the city Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee and three residents. No appointments have been made.

"The committee is being formed to keep a close watch on any tunnel possibility," said Rye Mayor Joshua Cohn. "The city council is following the matter closely and wants the community immediately involved and aware. We can use more eyes, ears and minds. Obviously, a tunnel is of huge concern to all on the Westchester I-287 and I-95 corridors, but most of all to Rye and Port Chester."

The potential 18-mile span from Syosset on Long Island to Rye or Port Chester in Westchester carries an estimated $55.4 billion price tag. Cuomo's administration issued a formal request in January to the construction industry and private-equity investors.

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The Department of Transportation has told Cuomo that it is “very interested” in the project.

But Rye will have plenty of time to review the plan: Even if the state continues to move forward with the plan, it would likely require years of further study before construction could begin.

That includes at least five years for scoping and environmental reviews and approvals, according to a 2017 state-funded study. After that, at least 1 1/2 years would be needed for the design phase and up to eight more years for construction.

A potential tunnel or bridge across the Long Island Sound has been debated for decades, with a state lawmaker first proposing one in the 1930s and the idea picking up steam with Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and master builder Robert Moses in the 1960s.

But Rye lawmakers have long fought back against such plans, and they've won.

Richard Mannix, a state Assemblyman in the 1970s who represented Rye, helped defeat Moses' proposal. As a freshman lawmaker, he championed legislation to block Moses from building the Rye-Oyster Bay Bridge over the Sound.

Gov. Nelson Rockefeller initially supported the proposal, but Mannix, a fellow Republican, and other vocal opponents argued it would do irreparable harm to the local environment and economy. Rockefeller gave up on the project in 1973.

For Rye City Councilman Richard Mecca, times haven't changed much.

"We're glad to carry on in the tradition of Rich Mannix," he said. "The impact this proposal has on the whole Sound Shore region will be tremendous. I don't see any benefit for those of us in the area who have been fighting to keep the coastal area as pristine as possible. This isn't something that we feel the governor should be pursuing."

To apply for a seat on the committee, email Mayor Joshua Cohn at mayor@ryeny.gov by Feb. 28.

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