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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 098-06
April 4, 2006

MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND GOVERNOR PATAKI ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR NEW YANKEE STADIUM MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION CENTER

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Governor George E. Pataki today announced their support to build a new Yankee Stadium Multimodal Transportation Center in the South Bronx.  The Mayor and Governor have asked the MTA Board to present the plan at the April 26th Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board meeting to fund this important project in the MTA Capital Plan.

"The redevelopment of Yankee Stadium is an exciting opportunity that will further efforts to revitalize the South Bronx," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "Together with the completion of the Bronx Terminal Market Gateway Center, we will help transform the area for residents and visitors for generations to come.  The construction of a new Metro-North railroad station will be a tremendous additional amenity that will create a new stop along Metro-North's Hudson Line and will provide convenient access between the new stadium, parking facilities, nearby park facilities and the Harlem River waterfront."

"The proximity of the Hudson Line to Yankee Stadium, and to the surrounding streets, major roadways, thoroughfares and parking areas, provides an excellent opportunity to create a new Metro-North train station that will add a convenient new access alternative for Yankee Stadium and this growing Bronx neighborhood," said Governor Pataki.  "I am pleased to support this important new Transportation Center that will expand mass transit infrastructure for fans, local residents and visitors. It will also improve the air quality and the overall environment for the area as well as offer critical service to New Yorkers and the region.  The MTA has already funded the design of the Center and I urge Chairman Peter Kalikow and all the members of the MTA board to present a plan to fund the construction and completion of this important project."

The new Yankee Stadium Multimodal Transportation Center will consist of two island passenger platforms and an overhead mezzanine.  The existing railroad right-of-way must be widened and tracks relocated.  Each platform will be long enough to accommodate a ten-car train and will have both stairway and elevator access to a large mezzanine above.  The MTA 2000-04 Capital Plan included $5 million for design of this project.

The new Yankee Stadium Multimodal Transportation Center will ease the burden on the local streets on game days by enhancing the availability of public transportation.  The post-game Service Plan offered by the MTA would include 10 trains - 4 to the New Haven Line, 2 to the Harlem Line and 2 on the Hudson Line as well as 2 shuttle trains to Grand Central Terminal, providing an attractive level of service for customers. 

An overpass will span the Metro-North right-of-way, providing access from the mezzanine to Yankee Stadium and the adjacent neighborhood to the east, and to the Bronx Terminal Market Gateway Center, parking garages, ferry service and the Harlem River waterfront to the west.  The mezzanine is sized to accommodate Metro-North passengers and those pedestrians seeking to cross over the tracks.  The Transportation Center is sized to insure maximum reliability and service flexibility and to safely accommodate significant ridership, particularly after games.

State Assemblywoman Carmen E. Arroyo said, "I want to thank Governor Pataki for his initiative to support a Metro-North Station in the vicinity of Yankee Stadium.  The Station will provide a great relief to our area, one in which asthma is one of the greatest problems, and alleviate traffic flow, not only during Yankee games, but year round.  It is a project that has been long overdue."

State Assemblyman Jose Rivera said, "My colleagues and I in the State legislature worked very hard with the Governor, Mayor and our friends at the City Council to allocate the funding to build the new Yankee Stadium.  The new Metro-North station in the Bronx will enable millions of people to visit our great borough and our residents to travel to work. The Bronx is booming."

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said, "Building a new Metro-North station at Yankee Stadium is basic, common sense.  This station will help us reduce traffic, noise and pollution -improving the quality-of-life for the community.  Additionally, it will create transportation options for residents of the South Bronx and make it easier for fans to get to the game.  I want to thank my colleagues from the Bronx who have been fighting for these smart investments from the very beginning of this process.  Now, with a new Metro-North Station on the horizon, the City and the State are showing their strong commitment to the future of this wonderful and diverse community."

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. said, "I have always been committed to ensuring that the new Yankee Stadium Plan was not simply about a stadium.  This is about redeveloping a neighborhood with new and improved parkland, a new Metro-North Station and a revitalized commercial district that will provide our residents with jobs and economic opportunities.  The construction of a new Metro North Station near Yankee Stadium and the mall at the Bronx Terminal Market is another important milestone toward the vision plan for the entire borough.  I want to thank Governor Pataki, Mayor Bloomberg, every Bronx elected official and neighborhood resident who advocated for this.  This is home run for the Bronx and the entire city."

City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera said, "Bronxites should be proud as we take another step forward towards a massive renovation of our community.  The addition of the Metro-North station will afford the opportunity for people to travel to and from 161st street without the necessity of a car, whether they are going to a Yankee game, to the New Gateway Shopping Center or to our local courts.  If Howard Cosell was here, he would no longer say the 'Bronx is burning' but that the Bronx is thriving."

City Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo said, "A Metro-North Station at Yankee Stadium will provide fans with a sound alternative to driving in for games.  This coupled with a strong outreach effort by the Yankees to promote Mass Transit as an optimal means to getting to the Stadium will significantly reduce the amount of traffic coming into the community on games days."

City Council Member Maria Baez said, "We believe that as a result of this process we have structured an agreement that will ensure the protection of the health of Bronx residents and preserve our parks while guaranteeing a historic community based agreement that will ensure direct participation for the Bronx workforce and businesses."

The Transportation Center is a separate project from the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Civic Project.  Following MTA Board action in April, the plan must be submitted to the State Capital Program Review Board for its review and approval.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser/Jennifer Falk   (212) 788-2958

Joanna Rose (Governor)   (212) 681-4640




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