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Staten Island, Hudson Valley, And Long Island Get Huge Boost From MTA Capital Plan

It’s not just the New York City subway system that will get a boost from the MTA Capital Plan. The new $29 billion budget for repairs and enhancements, approved Wednesday, will also bring about some much-needed changes in Staten Island, and the Metro-North train line.

Most notably, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has reserved some $34 million for planning a bus rapid transit (BRT) route in Staten Island’s North Shore community and to implement an intermediate Select Bus Service route, a long-held tenant of local transportation advocates. The bus route will follow the proposal for the North Shore BRT, a five-mile bus path that would run over the old North Shore real line right of way. It will feature a dedicated lane reserved for buses, inaccessible to cars, as well as features such as off-board fare collection.

Previous plans for the Staten Island BRT line met unexpected opposition after Hurricane Sandy, when the city had to refocus intended funding for hurricane recovery. At the time, the MTA estimated a BRT line on the North Shore would cost about $371 million.

Most notably, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has reserved some $34 million for planning a bus rapid transit (BRT) route in Staten Island’s North Shore community and to implement an intermediate Select Bus Service route, a long-held tenant of local transportation advocates. The bus route will follow the proposal for the North Shore BRT, a five-mile bus path that would run over the old North Shore real line right of way. It will feature a dedicated lane reserved for buses, inaccessible to cars, as well as features such as off-board fare collection.

Previous plans for the Staten Island BRT line met unexpected opposition after Hurricane Sandy, when the city had to refocus intended funding for hurricane recovery. At the time, the MTA estimated a BRT line on the North Shore would cost about $371 million.