by railtrailbiker
In November 2002, officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority held a public workshop to review three designs for a new train station in Beacon. Tonight, the MTA will show its plans to the public again -- only this time, three designs have been pared to one.
MTA officials will present a plan with elements of two of the previous three designs. The changes are needed, they say, to address an increasing number of riders.
''This is the result of a long planning process involving people who really care about the future of Beacon,'' Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.
The long-term plan does not have funding but community support could draw grants and private funds, Anders said.
The station is one of several improvements planned or in the works for the Beacon stop. The MTA will soon seek bids for a $10.5 million proposal to expand the parking lot and make other changes to improve traffic flow.
Fixes are many
Under the plan, 365 new parking spaces will be added to the Beacon train station and the existing 1,000 spaces will be rehabilitated. The station will also get a new entrance from Beekman Street and an access road from Beekman Street leading to Route 9D.
Other changes include new lighting, signs, paving and landscaping. The canopy on the southbound train platform will be repaired, the bus stop will be renovated and a bus waiting area will be built.
The earliest the improvements might be completed is early 2006, Anders said.
Mayor Clara Lou Gould said residents should come out tonight and voice their opinions on the train station proposal. She also said there should be plans to connect the station to businesses on Main Street.
Councilman Lee Kyriacou, D-at large, called the long-term plan ambitious and hopes it will encourage commercial and recreational projects near the station. Kyriacou, a research analyst, often commutes to Manhattan.
Kyriacou would also like to eliminate commuter traffic on residential streets near the train station. He encouraged Beacon residents to attend the meeting.
Final approvals for the Newburgh-Beacon ferry are under way, Anders said.
A 250-car parking lot in Newburgh is under construction and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the permit applications for setting up barges to shuttle passengers onto the ferry. The proposals will be sent to the National Marines Fisheries Service and New York state Department of State.
''The best-case scenario is mid-October for permits. We're optimistic,'' said Anders, who hopes to have the ferry running by the end of the year.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/toda" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 04s3.shtml
MTA officials will present a plan with elements of two of the previous three designs. The changes are needed, they say, to address an increasing number of riders.
''This is the result of a long planning process involving people who really care about the future of Beacon,'' Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.
The long-term plan does not have funding but community support could draw grants and private funds, Anders said.
The station is one of several improvements planned or in the works for the Beacon stop. The MTA will soon seek bids for a $10.5 million proposal to expand the parking lot and make other changes to improve traffic flow.
Fixes are many
Under the plan, 365 new parking spaces will be added to the Beacon train station and the existing 1,000 spaces will be rehabilitated. The station will also get a new entrance from Beekman Street and an access road from Beekman Street leading to Route 9D.
Other changes include new lighting, signs, paving and landscaping. The canopy on the southbound train platform will be repaired, the bus stop will be renovated and a bus waiting area will be built.
The earliest the improvements might be completed is early 2006, Anders said.
Mayor Clara Lou Gould said residents should come out tonight and voice their opinions on the train station proposal. She also said there should be plans to connect the station to businesses on Main Street.
Councilman Lee Kyriacou, D-at large, called the long-term plan ambitious and hopes it will encourage commercial and recreational projects near the station. Kyriacou, a research analyst, often commutes to Manhattan.
Kyriacou would also like to eliminate commuter traffic on residential streets near the train station. He encouraged Beacon residents to attend the meeting.
Final approvals for the Newburgh-Beacon ferry are under way, Anders said.
A 250-car parking lot in Newburgh is under construction and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the permit applications for setting up barges to shuttle passengers onto the ferry. The proposals will be sent to the National Marines Fisheries Service and New York state Department of State.
''The best-case scenario is mid-October for permits. We're optimistic,'' said Anders, who hopes to have the ferry running by the end of the year.
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/toda" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 04s3.shtml