NJ Turnpike VS. Tri-State tollway (I 294).

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by Adi from the Brunswicks

The Hudson has only 2 tunnels. I think a rail bridge from Rockland to Weschester county would do a lot towards expanding metro north services in southern NY, and perhaps help restore rail service to the southern tier and Scranton from NYC using an alternative route.

I'm just thinking in terms of freight and how crazy it is that you have +7 million people on Long Island (around 9 million if you include Manhattan) and there are no west-of-hudson freight connections south of Albany and the only east-of-hudson connection is the NEC.

The PIDN project is a pretty fascinating answer to the challenge - still surprised though that a barge facility out on Long Island somewhere wasn't part of it. https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/.../map_PIDN.html

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

Originally Posted by drive carephilly

I'm just thinking in terms of freight and how crazy it is that you have +7 million people on Long Island (around 9 million if you include Manhattan) and there are no west-of-hudson freight connections south of Albany and the only east-of-hudson connection is the NEC.

The PIDN project is a pretty fascinating answer to the challenge - still surprised though that a barge facility out on Long Island somewhere wasn't part of it. https://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/.../map_PIDN.html

If the Poughkeepsie rail bridge was not abandoned and rebuilt rail use instead, things would have turned out much better for freights to southern new England. In the 60's NY, NH, and Hartford railways ran this line.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ap_cropped.png

From the 70's to 90's there was a decline. And from then on, it was turned into a park. A good idea would have been a new double track bridge like the one over godavari river in southern India paralleling the truss structure, so that freights and passenger trains alike can connect to areas, while history is still maintained in form of a walkway over the old bridge.

Godavari Bridge
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I9fCHXuNxP.../s1600/new.jpg

[iNviNciBL3]

If i had to drive around Chicago i'd take 355.