Underground Connection Would
Give G Riders Access to 10 Lines
By Sarah Ryley
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
CLINTON HILL — Councilwoman Letitia James is asking the MTA to study whether the G Train at Fulton Street could be connected to the Atlantic Avenue transportation hub via an underground tunnel, she told the Eagle.
If the stations were linked, the G train, often criticized for having spotty service and few connections in Brooklyn, would directly transfer to 10 additional lines. Prospect Heights residents could ride to Williamsburg without entering Manhattan, and Clinton Hill residents, only served by the G train, would have easy access to all parts of Manhattan by direct transfer.
“I understand that the MTA is cutting back on all their capital projects, but I want them to at least look at it and get a feasibility study,” said James, who represents Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. She said she’s working with Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries on the matter and would suggest the project to help ease traffic as part of the mayor’s congestion pricing plan.
“It would definitely increase ridership,” she said.
MTA spokeswoman Deirdre Parker said the agency hasn’t studied an underground connection between the two stations. “Operations Planning is reviewing Ms. James’ suggestions and will respond within the next two weeks,” she said.
In the short term, G train riders would likely get a free transfer to the Atlantic Avenue transportation hub if congestion pricing were enacted, said Michael Burke, executive director of policy and planning for the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.
The organization successfully lobbied to have the F and A/C trains at the Jay Street station connected to the M/R trains at the Lawrence Street station via an underground tunnel. Construction should be completed within the next few years, said Burke.
As a long-term solution, Burke said the partnership would support James’ effort. “In order to ease congestion, more transit connections make a lot of sense, but they’re long-term projects,” he said, adding that a 50-foot tunnel to connect the Jay and Lawrence Street stations cost $130 million. “So you’re not talking about a quick fix.”
At their closest point, the Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue stations are roughly 660 feet apart.
The MTA plans to extend G Train service to the Church Avenue station, at least temporarily, as it rehabilitates the Culver Viaduct. Parker said the agency also proposed to increase G service during evening, midday and weekend periods.
Anne Buckley, a sales estate agent for Fillmore Real Estate, said only that having access to the G train, while not the deciding factor, influences buyers’ decisions when looking for homes. “It would certainly help the community; it would make it easier to get from place to place.”
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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