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Q&A
Rockaway Beach branch reactivation and Queens Link project
1:36:12
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120 sec
Council Member Brooks-Powers inquires about the changes in ridership estimates for the Rockaway Beach branch reactivation and the recent grant for the Queens Link project. John McCarthy from the MTA responds to these inquiries.
- Discussion of the decrease in estimated daily riders for the Rockaway Beach branch reactivation
- Mention of the $400,000 grant for the Queens Link project's community equity analysis
- MTA's approach to evaluating potential projects based on benefits and investments
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
1:36:12
Okay.
1:36:12
And then now that I've asked the committee questions, I'm gonna just ask three questions that are more related to my district really quickly and then we can close.
1:36:23
So the Rockaway Beach branch in the MTA's twenty year needs assessment for 2025 to 2020 excuse me, to 02/1944.
1:36:32
MTA estimated that reactivation of the Rockaway Beach branch would serve 39,200 daily riders, a 17% decrease when compared to the MTA's twenty nine nineteen ridership estimate of 47,000 daily riders.
1:36:48
What does the MTA attribute this change in ridership to?
1:36:53
And then as a follow-up question to that, the Queen's Link recently received $400,000 a $400,000 grant from the US Department of Transportation.
1:37:02
The funding comes from the reconnecting communities pilot program and will be used for community equity analysis.
1:37:09
This will be a detailed study of the project's environmental impacts, economic potential, accessibility benefits, and sustainability advantages.
1:37:18
Has the MTA done a similar study or assessment of the Queen's link and what would the MTA need to see from the community equity analysis in order to green light the Queen's Link project in the future?
John McCarthy
1:37:32
So we've done studies on the reactivation.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
1:37:36
I remember you said studies but at that
Julie Won
1:37:38
to this At
John McCarthy
1:37:39
that level, we've done a feasibility, but this might be a little different.
1:37:43
So I think it's congratulations that they got the grant.
1:37:47
So we'll certainly want to take a look at that as it's developed more.
1:37:51
But everything we do in terms of investments are in the vacuum of all the projects that are possible in this region.
1:37:59
And we try to judge them against each other and what are the benefits and are those benefits worth the investment.
1:38:07
So same thing will apply here.
1:38:09
So we'll take a look.