| (x-posted at Act Now)
The 10 Regional Economic Development Councils tasked with providing ideas for job growth in New York State have published their reports. There are many good ideas in them. I also approve of the general idea of competition-based economic development proposals. But despite the long work done by the members of the councils, they collectively make one big omission: the large job-creating potential that accompanies investments in mass transit.
For example, the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council recognizes the "transformational potential for the region" when describing the rebuilding of the Tappan Zee Bridge. However the report does not discuss the rebuilding in any detail. Rebuilding the bridge as it was will create many temporary construction jobs and jobs further down the supply chain for the construction. But, as the state recently announced, there won't be any plans for transit on the bridge when the construction begins. Now, while the rebuilding of the bridge itself will cause several of the aforementioned temporary jobs to be created, once the construction is finished, the mid-hudson region will be where it is today: in possession of a functional Hudson crossing for automobiles. The current plans regarding the bridge won't be a major improvement on the status quo.
However, the council failed to notice that Building mass transit on the bridge will not only create jobs during the construction of the bridge, but it will also create jobs when that transit is extended across the I-87 corridor. The Environmental Review Documents regarding the Tappan Zee rebuilding show the extent of potential infrastructure construction across the corridor, be it Commuter Rail or Light Rail. Either scenario conceives of a massive public works project to build rail along the corridor, along with stations and park-and-rides. Imagine how many jobs that would create. 
Building transit on this scale would create even more temporary construction jobs than just the bridge replacement. But it would also have the benefit of providing enduring economic benefits to the region; it would add the benefit that commuter rail has roughly 20 times greater movement capacity per line vs that of a highway lane. One commuter rail line in each direction would more than double the transportation capacity of the bridge. And once the rail and stations are built, they would add the benefit of increasing property values along the I-87 corridor. And that would allow for more "smart growth," infill development in the region, which would bring back historic centers of economic activity, the area's downtowns. This would increase the local tax base so property taxes wouldn't have to be so high, and create a virtuous cycle of more economic development. This would provide long-lasting economic benefits to the region, beyond just replacing the current automobile-only bridge with another copy.
Certainly this will cost a lot of money, but with $1 billion allotted to the for the economic councils this year and each year in the foreseeable future, it's a shame that not a dime of that will be spent on this hugely important economic imperative. Just because transit isn't "sexy," doesn't mean it should be ignored. |
