Washington, DC – U.S.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that late yesterday the Senate
Appropriations Committee approved $600,000 in the FY10 Transportation,
Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill to renovate Jamaica
Station in Queens in an effort to make the transportation hub safer and
more pedestrian-friendly. Senator Gillibrand aggressively lobbied
members of the Appropriations Committee to include funding for the
project in this year’s spending bill.
“As
a mother and a lawmaker, the safety of our communities is a top
priority of mine,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This federal investment in
the infrastructure of this bustling transportation hub will provide
safer access to the roads, pedestrian plazas, trains and subways for
driver and pedestrians alike.”
The
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC), one of New York’s
oldest non-profit development corporations, will use the new federal
funding to renovate Jamaica Station’s intersection between Archer
Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard – a dangerous area prone to pedestrian
accidents. Each day, approximately 18,000 people traffic through this
key hub that provides AirTran light rail service to John F. Kennedy
Airport, four subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road and multiple
regional bus lines.
The
GJDC will use the $600,000 to create wider turning radius for buses,
expanded sidewalks, pedestrian plazas, improved subway exits, new
streets signs and lighting, and convenient retail stores for transit
users.
Late
yesterday, the Appropriations Bill for Transportation, Housing and
Urban Development passed the full committee. The legislation will now
head to the floor for a vote before the full Senate. The bill will then
proceed to the House-Senate Conference Committee, before final passage
in both chambers, and sent to the President to become law.