In this 1939 photo, workers dig in the abandoned shaft for the short-lived subway tunnel project.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dig the subway tunnel to Brooklyn.
That's the strong sentiment expressed by more than 70 percent of Staten Islanders surveyed by the Advance.
It's hardly a new concept: Staten Island voted to join the city in 1898 in part because of a promise that we'd be connected to the subway system that would open six years later. By 1924, groundbreaking ceremonies for the Brooklyn-Richmond Freight and Passenger Tunnel Construction were held, but the project was abandoned soon after.
The multibillion-dollar cost appears to have scared any transportation officials away from committing funds to revisit the project. But there is still strong interest on the Island.
The Advance asked 104 Island residents if they thought it was a good idea to develop the subway plan. Half of the interviews in the unscientific survey were conducted among Staten Island Ferry commuters while the rest were conducted with Islanders equally distributed among the North Shore, Mid-Island and South Shore.
Seventy-three of the 104 surveyed -- approximately 70 percent -- said build it.
"They should have subways on the Island," Damadeo said. "I think it would be good because the 79 (linking Bay Ridge and the Staten Island Mall), you could never get a seat, and the 53 (Bay Ridge-Port Richmond) -- forget about it. Everybody's hanging out the window for God's sake."
Another supporter of the tunnel idea -- Audie Parker of Great Kills -- said adding express lanes and buses to the roads only compounds the traffic problem. He said improved subway access would represent a firm step toward getting cars off the streets. But he doesn't see the political will to get it done.
"Bloomberg was talking about extending the 7 train into New Jersey," Parker said. "Now he's worried about Jersey commuters. What about the Staten Island commuters?"
With the absence of any type of subway infrastructure on Staten Island, and of course immense costs associated with tunneling more than a mile under water, Livingston resident Oliver Perry shot down the proposal.
"We only have the [Verrazano-Narrows] bridge and the ferry," Perry said. "While it's not as convenient as more people would like it to be, it's here already. It's established infrastructure. A new tunnel would be too costly; it could be better spent in other ways."
Others were skeptical of the value of building a subway to Brooklyn.
Although a tunnel connecting Brooklyn to the Island would provide another transportation option and tie the borough into the rest of the New York City subway system, those trudging into Manhattan would still face a long trip, said Frieda Riven, of New Springville.
"I don't see the benefit," Ms. Riven said, as it takes her an hour-and-a-half to get into Manhattan now. "I live in Heartland Village. How long will it take me to get to it, and then what do I do? I get to Brooklyn; then what, another 45 minutes to get to Manhattan. I think there has to be a better solution."
Eltingville resident Chris Baskin echoed Ms. Riven's views.
"To Brooklyn? No," Baskin said. "If it was Manhattan, I would say maybe."
Still, a strong majority voiced support for the idea, largely citing the need for transportation improvements in the city and a solution to the Island's chronic traffic congestion.
"I think it's a great idea," said Frank Gallinaro of Castleton Corners. "The current system to get to Brooklyn without a car is way too convoluted and takes a long time. I believe that transportation between the boroughs in general needs major improvements as well as the transportation on the Island."
For the many Islanders who have roots in Brooklyn, the prospect of having an alternative to Brooklyn is appealing.
"Yes, absolutely," said Louise Noviello, of Charleston. "We're Brooklyn girls to begin with."
"Definitely," her friend Catherine Caporusso, also of Charleston enthusiastically said. "The only access we have now is a bridge, and it's a killer."
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