Cross Sound Ferry Trucking Plan Nixed
Congressman Lee Zeldin of Shirley announced Friday that he has secured the permanent removal of the Cross Sound Ferry trucking plan from the America’s Marine Highway Program.
Zeldin, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, worked with the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Maritime Administration to amend the Cross Sound program to permanently remove all references to the trucking provision, which would have rerouted thousands of trucks from I-95 in Connecticut to the North Fork through the Cross Sound Ferry.
“While passenger ferries are an important part of the Long Island transportation and tourism economy, this particular plan was ill advised, as it obviously failed to properly assess the North Fork’s road system, which is not equipped for the additional truck traffic, and was contrary to the goals of America’s Marine Highways,” Zeldin said.
On Tuesday, May 12, Zeldin sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx urging the permanent removal of the Cross Sound Ferry trucking plan from the America’s Marine Highway Program. After meeting with staff, and conducting a thorough review of the project, Secretary Foxx and federal Maritime Administrator Paul Jaenichen announced that the proposal has been officially removed from the federal plan, according to Zeldin’s office.
A copy of the confirmation letter can be viewed here.