NYT event listing for Children's Museum, Nov 2003

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

John F. Kennedy International Airport and Long Island Dramatically improving access to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City's primary international arrivals facility, is of the highest priority. By providing international air access that is convenient and reliable. Lower Manhattan (and, indeed, Manhattan as a whole) will gain a considerable asset — one that is fast becoming a standard among top business centers around the world. Equally important, the investments required to improve JFK access to Lower Manhattan will simultaneously improve commuter rail access for Long Island. It is therefore possible to stimulate Lower Manhattan's revitalization — and the region's growth — on two fronts through a single set of system improvements.

Promising, preliminary models for establishing such a combined JFK and Long Island serv­ ice have emerged — the Super Shuttle and the JFK Direct. The Super Shuttle approach would offer a direct ride to Jamaica Station with a convenient transfer to the JFK Airport AirTrain. By largely using existing infrastructure and alignments, the Super Shuttle offers a lower cost and shorter implementation time than JFK Direct. The JFK Direct would create a one-seat ride directly to Jamaica and JFK Airport, utilizing a new tunnel beneath the East River and modern system technologies. JFK Direct offers a substantial savings in travel time to the airport. (These two approaches are described in greater detail below.) In addi­ tion to these models, a number of variants and alternatives merit further exploration.

To study the range of possibilities exemplified by the Super Shuttle and the JFK Direct, the LMDC, Port Authority, MTA, and New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) have partnered to initiate the JFK Airport Access and Long Island Commuter Service Alternatives Analysis Study, described more fully later in this section. The goal of this study will be to identify a high quality and buildable JFK and Long Island service that is prepared to enter into formal environmental review and construction.

The following text describes areas of inquiry for the study — beginning with the two pre­ liminary models — and concludes with a more detailed description of the study itself.

The Super Shuttle Model

The Super Shuttle approach would utilize existing subway routes and LI.RR tracks to create a direct trip from Lower Manhattan to Jamaica Station in Queens. This service would travel from Lower Manhattan on the A,C subway track and LIRR Atlantic Branch track to Jamaica Station. From there, riders would transfer to the soon-to-be operational AirTrain to JFK Airport or to LIRR commuter trains to Long Island. Because this option would pri-

62 Lower Manhattan Transportation Strategies

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