GOVERNOR SPITZER BREAKS GROUND ON CHARLESTON BUS ANNEX ON STATEN ISLAND
Governor Eliot Spitzer today joined MTA Executive Director and CEO Elliot G. Sander and local elected officials to break ground for the much-anticipated Charleston Bus Annex on Staten Island. Staten Island's significant population growth has strained the island's mass transit system, with bus ridership approaching 140,000 passengers daily. When completed in late 2009, this third bus depot will improve the reliability of bus service on Staten Island, and its "green" design will advance several of the Governor's environmental priorities to reduce energy and water consumption.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Governor Eliot Spitzer today joined MTA Executive Director and CEO Elliot G. Sander and local elected officials to break ground for the much-anticipated Charleston Bus Annex on Staten Island. Staten Island’s significant population growth has strained the island’s mass transit system, with bus ridership approaching 140,000 passengers daily. When completed in late 2009, this third bus depot will improve the reliability of bus service on Staten Island, and its “green” design will advance several of the Governor’s environmental priorities to reduce energy and water consumption.
The Charleston Bus Annex will relieve the overcrowding at the Yukon and Castleton Bus Depots and will provide efficient and reliable service to customers who travel on Staten Island. Since the mid-1990s, bus service on Staten Island has nearly doubled, with a 91 percent increase in the express bus fleet.
“I am proud to deliver on a long-overdue promise to the people of Staten Island,” said Governor Spitzer. “I am committed to improving mass transportation options for Staten Island, and the rest of New York. This third depot will go a long way toward providing the reliable bus service Staten Island residents deserve, and I applaud the efforts of the local leaders who have been fighting for this day for decades. Additionally, the green design of this facility supports our “15x15” plan, aimed at reducing the state’s energy consumption by 15 percent by 2015.”
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said: “Staten Islanders have long sought mass transit options to improve their commutes and their quality of life. By providing the land for another bus depot on the Island, the City is working with the MTA to move people out of cars and onto mass transit, a major one of our PlaNYC goals.”
Elliot G. Sander, MTA Executive Director and CEO said: “The construction of the Charleston Annex is the latest initiative in the MTA’s program of service improvements on Staten Island. This depot will help support some of the new service already in place, including the substantial increase in express buses and the new S89 route to Bayonne. We have already begun to explore the possibility of adding a fourth bus depot to keep up with growing demand.”
The 110,000 square foot, multi-storied facility will store and maintain over 200 buses. It also includes an interior area for bus queuing, a service area with two bus fueling lanes, two bus washers and a maintenance area. Administrative offices, locker rooms and employee amenities will be located on a mezzanine and second floor of the $149 million facility. The new depot is being funded through a variety of federal, state and local funds, as part of the MTA Capital Plan.
The depot is one of several MTA green facilities, similar to the Grand Avenue bus depot and Corona subway maintenance facility, which reduce energy consumption and maximize use of sustainable materials. Environmentally-friendly elements of the facility include the underground storage of rainwater to wash the buses and the use of heat recovery units that save energy by using exhaust air that would otherwise be lost to heat incoming air during the colder months.
Senator Charles Schumer said: “For too long, Staten Island has been at the bottom of the list for new transportation projects. With the new S89 bus-route and Charleston Bus Annex, all that is changing. The new bus depot will be one of the greenest and cleanest transportation projects in the city, it is well-deserving of the federal dollars we delivered to build it and will go lengths in addressing the clogged roadways Staten Island drivers face every day. I applaud Governor Spitzer and Director Sander for moving forward with this project, and look forward to working with them to ensure that Staten Island continues to receive much needed additions to its transportation system.”
Senator Hillary Clinton said: “This is a welcome day and one that is long overdue for the people of Staten Island. The establishment of this new depot will not only enable the Transit Authority to better store and repair the existing fleet of buses, but it will also improve mass transit for the benefit of all New Yorkers. It is a pleasure for me to recognize the work of the numerous community groups, elected officials, and members of the Amalgamated Transit Union who have all fought for the last three decades to make this third transit depot a reality, and I look forward to watching as more facilities are added to meet the growing needs of Staten Islanders and New York City residents.”
Congressman Vito Fossella said: “I worked hard in Washington to secure $10 million in federal funding for this project. The construction of this new depot is an important step in expanding express and regular bus service in the borough.”
Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro said: “I would like to thank Governor Spitzer for getting this project off the ground, and I am looking forward to the completion of the new bus depot, which will increase passenger service and shorten commuting time into the City for the residents of the fastest-growing Borough in New York City.”
State Senator Diane Savino said: “Today is the culmination of a long standing commitment to the thousands of Staten Islanders who use public transportation every day. We hope this is the beginning of many new mass transit initiatives.”
State Senator Andrew Lanza said: "This groundbreaking represents a significant victory in Staten Island's epic struggle for transportation and traffic relief. The construction of the third bus depot will finally allow the MTA to provide the people of Staten Island with the additional local and express bus service that we so desperately need and deserve. I'd like to thank Governor Spitzer and Staten Island's elected officials who join us today to mark this important victory for the people of Staten Island."
State Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer said: “Improving quality of life means creating ways to allow Staten Islanders to spend less time getting to and from work, and more time with their families. This new facility will help do just that by providing additional bus service they’ve long deserved.”
Assemblyman Lou Tobacco said: "Staten Island residents face some of the longest commute times in the nation. The completion of this long awaited 3rd bus depot will help reduce the time Staten Islanders spend commuting to work and give them more time to spend with their friends and families."
City Council Minority Leader James Oddo said: “On behalf of the folks who have some of the worst commutes in the nation, thank you to the Governor, Lee Sander and my colleagues in government who helped ensure that we finally take this step towards additional and improved express bus service. Now let's build a fourth one!”
Councilman Vincent Ignizio said: “This has been a long fought battle to improve the commute of Staten Islanders, and this depot is necessary tool. I am thankful to all the elected officials and the MTA who funded and developed the project along the way.”
Councilman Michael McMahon said: “Staten Islanders have waited since the mid 70's for this ground breaking. Our two bus depots are woefully overcrowded and this new depot will relieve that condition. We thank the Governor and the MTA and look forward to a speedy completion of this facility and continuing our work toward a fourth depot.”
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