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I have recently made a rather interesting observation... On Google Earth, look at both the northern and southern terminus of the Seaford-Oysterbay Expressway. It looks as if there are unused patches of land where the expressway would extend should it be lengthened. Are they seeking to extend the expressway? Or is it another one of Nassau's failed projects?
As long as you're on Google Maps, you can also see where the Bethpage Parkway was supposed to meet the SOB around Bethpage State Park and continue north through Plainview, Woodbury and eventually to Caumsett. That was shot down as well.
i think what ultimately stopped it was a "gift" of land in the bridge's path donated to the federal government from the Town Of Oyster Bay for use as a wildlife preserve. This moved responsibility of the decision from the state to Washington. There was a provision that no encroachments could be made on the preserve without the land being returned to the town. I believe this is the reason waterfront residences in Bayville/OB are not permitted to have docks.
There was an informative exhibit on the failed attempt to build the bridge at the Planting Fields Arboretum years ago. It mentioned there was opposition on the Westchester side as well.
As per the web site linked to in an earlier post, the Village of Oyster Bay gifted a key parcel of land to the Federal Land Trust with the provision it be set aside as a Preserve.
While that maneuver really punched a hole in the plan to build a cross-sound span, it was public opposition that motivated such a move. Take my word for it, any way they planned the approach, it was going through estate country. Money talks, everything else walks.
I'm guessing you're wondering about the whole trajectory thing?
Right now, LI is one big bottleneck. Shipping, commuting traveling are very congested, slow and expensive. In fact, every time tolls are increased, so are the consumer goods that are trucked on to LI. This effects everything, from how much you pay for energy, lumber, groceries, etc., to the job opportunities open to Long Islanders.
And since most of the big business and manufacturing that had once been part of LI's economy has vacated and relocated elsewhere, everything needs to be shipped in.
A bridge to Connecticut would have opened another shipping conduit and opened the SW Fairfield County job market to us Long Islanders.
Now that I think about it, LI's leadership probably would have screwed this opportunity up as well, given the chance.
Better idea let it be an intermodal bridge that would extend NY 106 to oyster bay then above the roadway will be oyster bay LIRR then the bridge carrying cars,buses,trucks AND LIRR trains will go directly to stamford,CT none of this rye crap there is nothing over there for LI folk it is just a useless suburb. The highway will connect directly to I-95 both ways while the train line will merge with the MNRR danbury line or just end in stamford to link to amtrak and other trains for other destinations.
If it's gonna be a bridge it MUST handle trains too.
I'm guessing you're wondering about the whole trajectory thing?
Right now, LI is one big bottleneck. Shipping, commuting traveling are very congested, slow and expensive. In fact, every time tolls are increased, so are the consumer goods that are trucked on to LI. This effects everything, from how much you pay for energy, lumber, groceries, etc., to the job opportunities open to Long Islanders.
And since most of the big business and manufacturing that had once been part of LI's economy has vacated and relocated elsewhere, everything needs to be shipped in.
A bridge to Connecticut would have opened another shipping conduit and opened the SW Fairfield County job market to us Long Islanders.
Now that I think about it, LI's leadership probably would have screwed this opportunity up as well, given the chance.
Very true for us here on LI, but the bridge was not welcomed at any of the destination sites (Rye, Bridgeport, West Haven, New London etc.). I wondered at the time what benefit the bridge would have had for Connecticut residents (other than they could get to LI ocean beaches instead of visiting RI and Mass. ) . It's certainly easier for them to cross the Tappan Zee if heading south (say to Washington DC) than using a bridge to LI and then west to the Verrazano etc. like we have to.
Of course the selfish person in me still complains every time I drive up to New England. When we get to Stamford I will say "we are ten miles from home, and it's only two hours away "!!!
About five years ago I read of a proposal to begin a modern tunnel about where the SOB now ends and have it 'pop up' on the Connecticut side of the Sound thus avoiding all of the wildlife/waterfront issues that torpedoed the earlier proposals. Apparently the tunnelliing technology has advanced to the point where this sort of long (16 mile) and deep and fairly rapid digging is possible. Just this year Amtrack unveiled a proposal for a cross-sound train tunnel. Part of a Boston to NY to Washington high speed line.
The Rye-Oyster Bay bridge was Robert Moses last hurrah that never happened. This was at the end of his carreer and life. Nelson Rockefeller wanted the toll reveue from the TBTA crossings to fund his railroad (LIRR), but could only do it by removing Moses' stronghold on teh TBTA. Moses agreed to the changes based on a few things that he would be promised that he never got. One of them was this bridge.
Also, the local opposition is why the Seaford - OYSTER BAY Expressway actually ends in Syosset.
About five years ago I read of a proposal to begin a modern tunnel about where the SOB now ends and have it 'pop up' on the Connecticut side of the Sound thus avoiding all of the wildlife/waterfront issues that torpedoed the earlier proposals. Apparently the tunnelliing technology has advanced to the point where this sort of long (16 mile) and deep and fairly rapid digging is possible. Just this year Amtrack unveiled a proposal for a cross-sound train tunnel. Part of a Boston to NY to Washington high speed line.
That wasn't Amtrak but a private proposal , Amtrak decided to go with a New inland route along I-684-84-US6....to Boston...
The Oyster Bay-Rye bridge was another project that was killed because it invaded the territory of the rich and influential. It's the same reason why there is such a long stretch of the Long Island Expressway without exits between Glen Cove Road and Jericho Turnpike in Syosset. We wouldn't want to disturb the 1%. Moses was real good at destroying the neighborhoods of the poor, but far less successful in disturbing those with more income.
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