Port Authority will study potential Brooklyn-New Jersey freight tunnel

After years of discussion, Port Authority has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to determine the feasibility of a Cross-Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel that would connect Brooklyn to New Jersey, reports the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The tunnel would run between a rail yard in Jersey City’s Greenville neighborhood and would link with a rail yard along 65th Street in Bay Ridge.

For decades, the tunnel has been explored as a solution to alleviate traffic congestion in the city by removing 1,800 trucks carrying freight into Manhattan and Staten Island off the road each day all while improving air quality. The project is already supported by local officials, including Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"New York leads the nation in tackling the largest and most complex infrastructure challenges head on, and this project will identify an innovative, 21st century solution to streamline congestion and support economic growth for generations to come," Cuomo said in a statement.

Port Authority will allot up to $35 million for the study and as much as another $35 million for the project’s engineering and design.

Of course, not everyone has backed the proposal. Per the Eagle, Brooklyn Community Board 10 members (covering Bay Ridge) are worried about the increase in truck traffic that would result as trains land in the neighborhood’s rail yard, prompting fears that the amount of activity will damage the character of neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.

• RFP to study Cross-Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel connecting NJ and Brooklyn [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]