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Give Back This Westside Pork!
$6 million of pure NY Westside pork was inserted into the SAFETEALU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy For Users), NY. Item # 370-ll, "Relocating Miller Highway W. 59th-72 St. Manhattan under future expansion of Riverside Park NY' . It is part of the 2005 Federal Highway bill.
How did this happen?
From the AP , 3/14/05: "...The House highway spending includes a provision for $2.5 million in road construction that would boost Trump's long-held goal of burying part of the West Side Highway near W. 61st St. It would help complete construction of a steel frame underneath Riverside Boulevard around W. 61st St. to later accommodate the lowering part of the West Side Highway. Moving the highway below ground would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. ..The money was put in the bill by Rep. Sue Kelly, (Katonah, R-NY). It is unusual for a member of Congress to push for a spending provision outside their own district. " [The amount was reduced to $2 million in the final bill.]
Then, incredibly, Senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer sweetened the pot by adding $4 million to the SAFETEALU bill - although urged by constituents not to include such a blatant example of "pork" for Donald Trump in the Senate Highway bill. Total Pork is $6 million!
What Is the $6 million Really For?
In August 2005, Coalition asked the NYS Dept. of Transportation (NYSDOT), for specific information on how the $6 million in SAFETEA-LU funds [ "Relocating Miller Highway W. 59th-72 St. Manhattan under future expansion of Riverside Park"] was going to be used.
We quote from the unbelievably convoluted Aug. 23rd reply from a NYSDOT Staff Director. We defy anyone to explain what it actually means. (Coalition's comments are footnoted after the quote.)
"The project consists of design of a concrete tunnel from W. 63rd Street to W. 65th Street in the northbound and southbound direction, 1 The project is being progressed and designed in the northbound direction by the Donald Trump Organization.2 Plans submitted by the Trump Organization for review by the New York State Department of Transportation in 2004 for concrete tunnels between West 64th to West 65th Street in the northbound direction, near Trump's buildings, 3 - another developer will design the tunnel from West 63rd Street to West 64th Street in the northbound direction,4 The tunnels in the southbound direction will either be constructed by the city or state,5 Donald Trump will progress his portion of the project in the near future; the city and the state have not made a commitment for a construction date for the southbound tunnel. "6
Coalition's comments:
1. The 'tunnel' would be built beneath a portion of Riverside Boulevard but that Boulevard portion has not yet been built.
2. What in the world does "progressed" mean? According to a spokesman for Hudson Waterfront Associates, Trump has "never made a decision of consequence " for the Riverside South project in the last 11 years. (See page 3)
3. Does this mean only half a tunnel would be built?
Extell, the new owner, has begun construction on the W. 64th-W. 65th St. building and must build Riverside Blvd. on a structure - why should taxpayers pay for it?
4. Why plan to build half a tunnel? And has the new developer, Extell, agreed to build any portion of a tunnel?
5. Really? Who in the City and State have agreed to that? Show us where the hundreds of millions of dollars necessary to move the highway will come from!
6. No money, and no commitment from City or State for Southbound tunnel. Trump will "progress" what?
Finally, the "concrete tunnel" is actually the base for a extension of Riverside Boulevard - but this is an obligation of the developer.
And how do you build a tunnel piecemeal and in two sections - one northbound and the other southbound?
What can YOU do about this transparent and blatant Pork for a private developer?
Call Senator Charles Schumer [202-224-6542 ] and Senator Hillary Clinton [202-224-4451]. Call please because we have discovered that faxes and e-mails do not produce responses. Tell them to give the $4 million in PORK back - refer to New York State. Item # 370:. Also Call Rep. Sue Kelly [202-225-5441] and ask her to give back her $2 million in PORK [Item # 370: ]. Sen. McCain and others have urged the giving back of Pork items in the Highway Bill to help pay for Hurricane Relief efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. What a marvelous use for this obscene piece of pork!
