Subway To LaGuardia, Through Astoria? State Wants Your Input

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Months after scuttling ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo's derided plan for a "wrong way" train to LaGuardia Airport, the state has unveiled more than a dozen alternative plans — including subway extensions running through Astoria.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released the 14 options on Wednesday, saying it wanted the public's feedback before moving forward on a transit route to the airport, which is currently only accessible through a handful of bus lines.

The most eye-catching options are a pair of elevated subway extensions that would run eastward from the N-W line. One plan would start at Astoria's 30th Avenue station and run along the Grand Central Parkway before reaching the airport, while the other would begin at the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard stop, run north along 31st Street until reaching 19th Avenue, then continue eastward.

Other options, meanwhile, include five bus routes, five light rail lines, a ferry line, and a consideration of "emerging technologies" like "narrow tunnels with electric vehicles."

One of the light rail routes closely resembles the Cuomo plan that would run past the airport to the Willets Point 7 train station before doubling back toward LaGuardia.

Another light rail plan would begin at the Astoria Boulevard N-W station and run above ground on the Grand Central Parkway; additional plans could begin in Jamaica, Woodside, or 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, where it could link up with the proposed Interborough Express subway line.

Astoria workshop planned

The state-run Port Authority will host two in-person public workshops to gauge support for the different plans: one at the LaGuardia Marriott Hotel in East Elmhurst on March 16, from 6-8 p.m.; and a second at the Astoria World Manor on March 24, also from 6-8 p.m.

Gov. Kathy Hochul hit the brakes on Cuomo's plan in October, following an onslaught of opposition from politicians, advocates and transit experts who called it both logistically and financially misguided. Critics argued that the $2 billion proposal would actually increase travel times from Manhattan and Brooklyn — and suggested instead that the state should look into extending the N train from Astoria.

Concerns that the AirTrain plan could have a negative impact on nearby communities were also central to a lawsuit filed last year by a group of environmental advocates and northwest Queens residents.

State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who echoed those environmental concerns, has been a strong supporter of the N train extension. Sen. Michael Gianaris, who opposed a previous plan that would have extended the N from Ditmars Boulevard, has also backed the subway extension along the Grand Central, saying it would be less disruptive to surrounding neighborhoods.

"That seemed to make the most sense to me, it achieves the goal of getting the subway system linked up with the airport," Gianaris told the Daily News last year. "It keeps us from wreaking havoc on some of our local streets."

Besides the upcoming workshops, the Port Authority has also sent questionnaires describing the different plans to "more than 70 key stakeholders," including elected officials and community groups, according to the agency.

The bus routes included in the Port Authority's new proposals include improvements to the existing Q70 and M60 lines, or new bus-rapid transit routes from Astoria Boulevard, Ditmars Boulevard or the Northern Boulevard subway station.

The ferry proposal, meanwhile, would serve the airport via Flushing Bay and run along the East River, with possible stops in Long Island City and northern Brooklyn.

Related coverage:

• Port Authority Hits The Brakes On LaGuardia AirTrain Plan
  
• Hochul To Port Authority: 'Thoroughly Examine' Cuomo's AirTrain
• Astoria Leader Demands End To Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain Plan
• Queens Leaders Join Fight Against Cuomo's LaGuardia AirTrain Plan

Kayla Levy contributed to this report.

Have an Astoria news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

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