Long Island Tunnel Proposal Moves Quietly and Slowly Forward

An article in the Courant suggests that the idea of a Long Island Sound crossing between Oyster Bay and Westchester still has some momentum:

It would be the world’s longest highway tunnel, running more than 16 miles under the west end of Long Island Sound. The cost is estimated at $10 billion — and it wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime. A developer wants to build the tunnel with private money, recouping his costs by charging drivers $25 each way and by selling advertising.

Developer Vincent Polimeni says the tunnel between Oyster Bay and Rye on the New York mainland would let travelers going between Long Island and New England avoid crowded New York City highways and help alleviate traffic congestion.

Though not expected to be completed before 2025, the proposal received renewed attention last week, when a [New York] state Senate committee held a hearing.[...]

At 16 to 18 miles long, depending on the final design, the Long Island Sound project would eclipse Norway’s 15.2-mile Laerdal Tunnel as the world’s longest highway tunnel.

The article mentions that the project is already facing NIMBY opposition in Westchester County. I could observe that some of us in Connecticut would welcome such a tunnel…but such an observation would ignore that Attorney General Blumenthal tends to be a rather vocal NIMBY person himself.

The $25 toll seems steep…until you consider the additional drive time and fuel required to go into the City, or the $46.50 fare to cross on the Port Jefferson ferry.