Nyack, May 19 — Come to the Nyack Center from 6-8p to see the future of NYC and cross county commuting. Some day in the not so distant future you might be saying “So long, TZx…hello Lower Hudson Valley Transit Link (LHTL).”
The Mass Transit Task Force study of 2014 work commuting patterns is a set of interrelated improvements that will support the development and operation of an East-West transit service along I-287 and adjacent roads between Westchester and Rockland counties. New York’s Department of Transportation will hold an Open House to talk about the benefits of LHTL on Thursday, May 19 from 6-8p at The Nyack Center, 58 Depew Avenue and South Broadway. It’s free, informative and futuristic, too.
Lower Hudson Valley Transit Link:
A new cross county transit system.
The program will include:
- New bus stations will be constructed
- Route 59 will be turned into a “smart corridor” by deploying an Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) technology
- New Ramp Metering will be added to locations along the I-287 corridor to manage congestion and increase transit speed, reliability, and efficiency
“The transit system fundamentally changes transportation options in Westchester and Rockland Counties,” according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Mass Transit Task Force. “The proposed network is customized for the region with rapid deployment capability, allowing it to be in place when the [new Tappan Zee Bridge] opens. It is complemented by an infrastructure program that allows transit to move quickly and reliably through congestion and stay on schedule.”
To serve intra-county, inter-county and NYC commuters, the new system will include
- three inter-county routes connecting Rockland and Westchester Counties. These routes include intra-Rockland segments.
- three intra-county routes connecting destinations in Westchester.
- one route connecting Westchester County to the Bronx.
Connections will be provided to existing transit, including Metro-North rail lines.
Last October New York State received a a $10 million federal grant to help develop bus rapid transit service between Rockland and Westchester.
Make Way For ITS
Transportation planners say the proposed Lower Hudson Valley Transit Link will be a new and improved experience, unlike today’s TOR, TZx and Westchester Bee-Line buses. “Riders will be offered high-quality transit stations with passenger amenities such as seating, real-time bus arrival information, Wi-Fi at stations and on board, and protection from the elements,” predicts the Mass Transit Task Force. “The system will be used to travel between or within both counties on the same vehicles.”
Your future ride to work just around the corner. Or maybe, it’s just across a bridge waiting to be finished across a river near you.
See also:
- New NY Bridge Mass Transit Task Force: Final Transit Recommendations, February 2014
- Senator Gillibrand Announce $10 Million Federal Grant to Develop Bus Rapid Transit For Lower Hudson Valley, Governor.NY.gov 10/2015
- Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) , 7/19/2015
- tzxBus.com, M-Sa online Tappan Zee Express bus schedules