Members of the Land Use Committee, the City Council has a critical
role to play in considering the merits of the Port Authority’s AirTrain
proposal. Never before has the Council been asked to approve a single
project of this scale, and the thorough review being undertaken
by this committee and the entire council is both justified and warranted
by the importance of this proposed public investment. The Building
Congress applauds your close attention to every possible implication
of this project.
In our judgement, there are few public improvements that will benefit
this City more. The AirTrain is long overdue and will substantially
enhance airport transportation access and circulation. It will create
both immediate construction employment and long-term economic opportunity
and development. It is highly significant that affected local community
boards in Queens, the borough Board, and the City Planning Commission
all have endorsed the AirTrain.
This is because there is an exceptionally strong case for a rail
connection between Kennedy Airport and the public transportation
system. The AirTrain is critically essential to effective utilization
of the more than $7 billion in new construction at Kennedy, which
already is the largest center of development in New York City and
the surrounding metropolitan region. These investments simply will
not work together without transportation improvements, especially
the AirTrain.
Every possible aspect of this project should be weighed by the
Council before approval. But approval must be forthcoming, if New
York City and the Borough of Queens are to take the benefits of
Kennedy Airport’s resurgence. Without the new rail link, the overall
rebuilding program at the airport will not work. We do not have
the luxury of starting over, not when Newark Airport is so far ahead
of us. The AirTrain is not only a well conceived project, it is
also a solid basis for future enhancements to create the best possible
transportation system between Manhattan, LaGuardia, and the entire
transit system.
In previous correspondence with members of the Council, the Building
Congress addressed a number of common mis-perceptions about the
AirTrain proposal. We are convinced that it will be a much more
effective linkage with the public transportation system than commonly
acknowledged – certainly more effective than the system for Newark
Airport. It will provide a rapid connection with Manhattan and serve
a wide variety of travel demands. It is not a second best solution
but much more a first-class service in every possible way.
The Building Congress and its 1,200 individual members urge the
Land Use Committee to recommend approval by the full City Council.
By linking Kennedy Airport with the regional transportation system
at the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations, AirTrain will provide
New York with a 21st Century solution to a decades-old problem.
It will be the most impressive greeting to passengers from around
the world. When completed in 2002, the AirTrain will compliment
and extend the overall revival of what is becoming America’s preeminent
international airport.
Members of the Land Use Committee, the City Council has a critical
role to play in considering the merits of the Port Authority’s AirTrain
proposal. Never before has the Council been asked to approve a single
project of this scale, and the thorough review being undertaken
by this committee and the entire council is both justified and warranted
by the importance of this proposed public investment. The Building
Congress applauds your close attention to every possible implication
of this project.
In our judgement, there are few public improvements that will benefit
this City more. The AirTrain is long overdue and will substantially
enhance airport transportation access and circulation. It will create
both immediate construction employment and long-term economic opportunity
and development. It is highly significant that affected local community
boards in Queens, the borough Board, and the City Planning Commission
all have endorsed the AirTrain.
This is because there is an exceptionally strong case for a rail
connection between Kennedy Airport and the public transportation
system. The AirTrain is critically essential to effective utilization
of the more than $7 billion in new construction at Kennedy, which
already is the largest center of development in New York City and
the surrounding metropolitan region. These investments simply will
not work together without transportation improvements, especially
the AirTrain.
Every possible aspect of this project should be weighed by the
Council before approval. But approval must be forthcoming, if New
York City and the Borough of Queens are to take the benefits of
Kennedy Airport’s resurgence. Without the new rail link, the overall
rebuilding program at the airport will not work. We do not have
the luxury of starting over, not when Newark Airport is so far ahead
of us. The AirTrain is not only a well conceived project, it is
also a solid basis for future enhancements to create the best possible
transportation system between Manhattan, LaGuardia, and the entire
transit system.
In previous correspondence with members of the Council, the Building
Congress addressed a number of common mis-perceptions about the
AirTrain proposal. We are convinced that it will be a much more
effective linkage with the public transportation system than commonly
acknowledged – certainly more effective than the system for Newark
Airport. It will provide a rapid connection with Manhattan and serve
a wide variety of travel demands. It is not a second best solution
but much more a first-class service in every possible way.
The Building Congress and its 1,200 individual members urge the
Land Use Committee to recommend approval by the full City Council.
By linking Kennedy Airport with the regional transportation system
at the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations, AirTrain will provide
New York with a 21st Century solution to a decades-old problem.
It will be the most impressive greeting to passengers from around
the world. When completed in 2002, the AirTrain will compliment
and extend the overall revival of what is becoming America’s preeminent
international airport.
Members of the Land Use Committee, the City Council has a critical
role to play in considering the merits of the Port Authority’s AirTrain
proposal. Never before has the Council been asked to approve a single
project of this scale, and the thorough review being undertaken
by this committee and the entire council is both justified and warranted
by the importance of this proposed public investment. The Building
Congress applauds your close attention to every possible implication
of this project.
In our judgement, there are few public improvements that will benefit
this City more. The AirTrain is long overdue and will substantially
enhance airport transportation access and circulation. It will create
both immediate construction employment and long-term economic opportunity
and development. It is highly significant that affected local community
boards in Queens, the borough Board, and the City Planning Commission
all have endorsed the AirTrain.
This is because there is an exceptionally strong case for a rail
connection between Kennedy Airport and the public transportation
system. The AirTrain is critically essential to effective utilization
of the more than $7 billion in new construction at Kennedy, which
already is the largest center of development in New York City and
the surrounding metropolitan region. These investments simply will
not work together without transportation improvements, especially
the AirTrain.
Every possible aspect of this project should be weighed by the
Council before approval. But approval must be forthcoming, if New
York City and the Borough of Queens are to take the benefits of
Kennedy Airport’s resurgence. Without the new rail link, the overall
rebuilding program at the airport will not work. We do not have
the luxury of starting over, not when Newark Airport is so far ahead
of us. The AirTrain is not only a well conceived project, it is
also a solid basis for future enhancements to create the best possible
transportation system between Manhattan, LaGuardia, and the entire
transit system.
In previous correspondence with members of the Council, the Building
Congress addressed a number of common mis-perceptions about the
AirTrain proposal. We are convinced that it will be a much more
effective linkage with the public transportation system than commonly
acknowledged – certainly more effective than the system for Newark
Airport. It will provide a rapid connection with Manhattan and serve
a wide variety of travel demands. It is not a second best solution
but much more a first-class service in every possible way.
The Building Congress and its 1,200 individual members urge the
Land Use Committee to recommend approval by the full City Council.
By linking Kennedy Airport with the regional transportation system
at the Howard Beach and Jamaica stations, AirTrain will provide
New York with a 21st Century solution to a decades-old problem.
It will be the most impressive greeting to passengers from around
the world. When completed in 2002, the AirTrain will compliment
and extend the overall revival of what is becoming America’s preeminent
international airport.