After he served as a New York City police officer who helped pull a survivor from the debris of the World Trade Center and as fire chief of the Mineola Fire Department, no one would ever doubt the courage of Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss.
Still, we are impressed by Strauss’ decision to buck most local officials and endorse the Long Island Rail Road’s project to add a third track to a 9.8-mile stretch between Floral Park and Hicksville.
But Strauss’ decision to join seven other officials including the mayors of Westbury and Hicksville in backing the project last week reflected more than political courage.
It also reflected good sense.
Critics of the project led by the mayors of New Hyde Park, Floral Park and Garden City have expressed concerns that the project will cause traffic and noise problems and damage the quality of life in their communities. They also say project questions continue to remain unanswered.
The concerns about traffic and noise problems are reasonable and should, and for the most part, have been addressed.
But they are no reason not to move ahead with a project important to the economic well-being of all of Long Island.
The project, which would be built within the existing LIRR right-of-way, would ease congestion in a bottleneck that carries 40 percent of the LIRR’s traffic, reducing delays and improving reliability for hundreds of thousands of commuters throughout Long Island.
The project would also provide for:
* The elimination of all seven grade crossings in the project corridor, to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and reduce noise from legally mandated train horns and gate bells
* Station upgrades including longer, full-length platforms that reduce boarding time at stations
* The installation of sound barrier walls to reduce noise for homes along the tracks
* The addition of more than 2,000 new parking spots in the project corridor.
These are long-term benefits that far outweigh the inconvenience and disruption to residents and businesses along the line.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who proposed the project last year, has clearly demonstrated a willingness to meet people concerned with the project more than half way to minimize the disruption caused by the project and compensate those adversely affected.
That is more than we can say about some local officials, who have formed a “can’t-do chorus” that seems more interested in scuttling a project that improves Long Island’s entire transportation system and brings $2 billion in spending than minimizing that problems that such a large project would create.
Yes, the project will bring some disruptions and some inconveniences for residents and businesses along the Main Line during the three to four years of construction.
But that’s like a person with a bad hip refusing surgery because of the pain and rehab needed afterward. Is it really better to limp — or worse — for the rest of your life?
Rather than giving a knee-jerk answer, Strauss has evaluated both the pluses and the minuses of the project.
“The third track has a controversial history in Mineola,” Strauss said, referring to a more intrusive plan rejected 10 years ago. “But with the governor’s latest effort, we were invited to the table to help shape the plan in a way that benefits the village.”
And Strauss — unlike some other officials — took advantage of the opportunity to help solve parking problems for Mineola commuters and downtown businesses.
As part of the project, the LIRR has agreed to build two parking garages near Mineola’s train station that a parking study recommended to reduce parking congestion and boost business downtown — saving the village millions of dollars.
Strauss’ support coincides with transit-oriented housing developments in Mineola touted by experts to revitalize downtowns and increase housing and already showing benefits.
Mineola has approved four apartment complexes since 2008.
This is the kind of forward-looking thinking needed by village officials.
Two of the mayors who have led the opposition to the third track — Floral Park’s Thomas Tweedy and New Hyde Park’s Robert Lofaro — chose not to run for re-election and will soon be replaced.
We hope their successors, along with many of the other critics, use the change in leadership to make a change in their villages’ approach as well.
In Scott Strauss, they have a good example to follow.
