Senator Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset), chairman of the state Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, held a joint hearing on Thursday, Jan. 24 with the Senate Transportation Committee, which is chaired by Senator Charles Fuschillo regarding the Long Island Sound Tunnel proposal, dubbed "the Sound Link." The hearing took place at Town Hall in Oyster Bay.

This hearing afforded those in attendance the opportunity to hear from government officials who represent the areas most directly affected as well as see a presentation by the developer. The one fact that everyone in attendance agreed on is that this is just the beginning of a very long process.

The Sound Link is a proposed 16-mile triple bore tunnel going underground at the existing northern terminus of the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway in Syosset and reappearing in Rye, NY, and would be privately funded. If constructed, this would be the longest motor tunnel in the world.

No taxpayer dollars would be used to fund the $8 billion to $10 billion project, according to the developer. Tax-free bonds would be employed and investors around the world would have the option of purchasing them as they do for any significant infrastructure project. The bonds would be paid off by the vehicular drivers who would pay as much as $30 to use the tunnel, with that price rising or falling depending on congestion pricing strategies employed in concert with transportation officials throughout the region.

"When I consider the magnitude of this project, it is positively mind-boggling," Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto said as he testified at the recent hearing. "Also, the process is in such an early stage that it's difficult to identify all of the potential issues. Discussion, assessment and review of this proposal are in the very preliminary stages. A full, open and accurate analysis of every aspect of this proposal will be required in order to make an informed decision regarding the feasibility, practicality and doability of this proposal."

The consortium of engineering, environmental, construction and financial experts who spoke at Thursday's hearing is chaired by Vincent Polimeni, of Polimeni International, Garden City, and also includes the engineering and construction firm of Hatch Mott MacDonald, the global financial resources of Bear Stearns, the government affairs expertise of Hon. Patrick Halpin, former Suffolk County executive and media relations provided by Rubenstein Associates.

The group presented its concept at the hearing with a PowerPoint presentation, which outlined all phases of the proposal.

Polimeni said he has already invested approximately $250,000 in the project to complete the studies. He stressed that current traffic studies are important, but this project is about a vision toward the future. "We have to demonstrate that this tunnel will not generate new traffic, but, rather, will manage what is inevitable in the years to come," Polimeni said to the committee. "This plan challenges you. It requires visionary leadership found in other parts of the country and other parts of the world. The Sound Link has the means to make us think differently about improving our air quality throughout the New York metro region, about implementing a genuine congestion pricing strategy that would actually work. It also provides a strategic security alternative for an island dependent on suspension bridges.

"The Sound Link isn't about technology," Polimeni continued. "We can do this. We can do it safely, we can do it smartly and we can do it without public money. It's really about political will. And leadership. We can invent the digging equipment. That's easy. But we can't invent leadership. And that is why I am grateful that the senator has convened a hearing designed to make us think, make us question and make us accountable to the future."

Randall J. Essex, P.E., executive VP and director of Tunneling for Hatch Mott MacDonald, was the second speaker for the consortium. He explained that since they would be digging more than 100 feet under the Sound, it is anticipated that the tunnel digging machines would be located at either end of the tunnel to ensure completion within a five to six-year time frame.

According to Essex, the approximate timeline includes two to three years for the Environmental Impact Statement to be completed, a year to stage the portal and build the "lid," approximately five years to excavate the tunnels and another two years to complete the roadway, lighting etc. in the tunnels.

Some roads would be reconfigured to make the only access to the tunnel from the Long Island Expressway, Essex explained. He also said that the first step in the building process would be to create a lid over the roadway and replace it with a park, which would encompass 15-20 acres of land and offer tennis courts, jogging trails and a gazebo. "This would all be done with community participation," said Essex. This lid would cover the entire staging area and power station, which would all be underground.

Marcellino asked if any above-ground condemnation would be necessary and Polimeni explained not above ground, but since residents own their property from "crust to core" the developers would have to work out a deal with the residents who live above the path of the proposed tunnel. "We could make a deal with the homeowners and purchase the rights to their land 150-feet below or also we could consider having the state condemn that land 150-feet below, but not the house," said Polimeni.

Some residents in attendance questioned the process and asked where the excavated materials go. Essex said the material that is removed while digging the tunnel would be brought out by trucks at a rate of one truck every three minutes if the work is done 24-hours a day, 7-days a week or at a rate of four trucks every three minutes if the haulage is limited from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. to diminish traffic. He said the trucks would drive to various locations depending on what the excavated materials would be used for. Possible uses include fill, roadbase, park construction, beach erosion and landfill capping.

"I don't doubt that you intend to do this the best way possible, but you're dealing with a very residential area," said Marcellino. "This seems ambitious at best. This is a serious proposal by serious people. It must be fully reviewed before we change the landscape of Long Island forever."

The development team is requesting that the state appoint a task force that would allow larger input, the generation of more traffic data, the involvement of the DOT and a decision as to whether or not the data shows a reduction in traffic. "If it doesn't [show a reduction in traffic] the tunnel developer will close the books on the project and wish the future well," said spokesperson Gary Lewi. "The State of New York will have ultimate authority on whether such a concept gets built."

Marcellino mailed the surrounding communities and asked them to submit their concerns. In addition, on his website, www.senatormarcellino.com, he has a quick poll to get the pulse of the community. Much of the comprehensive research for the proposal is available at www.crosssoundlink.com.