BURY THE GOWANUS?

> AS NEW YORK CITY RACES TO EXPANDS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE CONTINUES TO FALL BEHIND.

FOR EXAMPLE, YEARS OF NEGLECT HAVE BROUGHT BROOKLYN'S TO A NOTORIOUS STATE OF DISREPAIR.

NOW, SOME NEW YORKERS HOPE TO RESOLVE THIS PARTICULAR CRISIS BY BURYING IT ONCE AND FOR ALL.

THEY ARGUE THAT REPLACING THE HIGHWAY WITH A TUNNEL WILL BRING NEW JOBS, CLEANER AIR AND GENERALLY A MUCH BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE TO THE AREA.

JOINING US NOW AS PART OF ONGOING SERIES, TWO PARTS OF IT.

THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMEMBER, GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

LET ME START WITH YOU.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU PROPOSING?

I THINK YOU SAID IT RIGHT.

THIS IS A NEGLECTED, AGING PIECE OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS BUILT IN A DIFFERENT ERA IN THE UNITED STATES.

BUILT BY ROBERT MOSES FOR WHATEVER GOOD OR BAD HE DID, WE KNOW.

DID HE SOME GOOD, SOME BAD.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE BAD.

THE PLAN IS SIMPLE.

YOU GET OFF THE BRIDGE.

THERE IS A TRENCH THERE.

YOU CONTINUE IT.

INSTEAD OF GOING UP ON AN EXPRESS WAY, YOU GO DOWN INTO A TUNNEL.

THE TUNNEL WILL MEET THE BATTERY TUNNEL IN RED HOOK.

YOU CAN GO INTO THE BATTERY TUNNEL OR YOU CAN VEER RIGHT AND GO INTO THE BROOKLYN EXPRESS WAY.

GO TO THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE, MANHATTAN BRIDGE AND OUT TO QUEENS AND LONG ISLAND.

IT IS AN AMAZING PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD TRANSFORM IT.

LET ME ASK YOU, HOW WOULD IT TRANSFORM?

IT HAS BEEN REVITALIZED OVER THE LAST 20, 30, 40 YEARS.

THE TUNNEL WOULD BE SEEN EXPONENTIALLY.

ESPECIALLY SUNSET PARK AND ALL THE AREAS THAT WERE FLYOVER AREAS.

THEY'RE NOW BUSTLING AND VIBRANT COMMUNITY THAT'S DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE A HIGHWAY CUTTING THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.

ROBERT MOSES BUILT AN EXPRESSWAY THAT YOU CAN'T GET ON FROM SUNSET PARK.

IT'S INSANE.

BUT SPEAKING OF SUNSET PARK, THE ARTICLE THAT YOU BOTH, THAT YOU CO-WROTE, YOU SAY INDUSTRY CITY ALONE IN SUNSET PARK, YOU PROJECTED IT COULD GENERATE $1 BILLION IN INVESTMENT AND CREATE A TOTAL OF ALMOST 20,000 JOBS IF THIS PROJECT WENT THROUGH.

IF YOU LOOK AT WHEN THEY REDID THE HIGH LINE, WHEN THEY PUT IN A SEVEN TRAIN EXTENSION, WHEN THE STATE GOVERNMENT, WITH ITS FEDERAL, CITY, OR STATE GOVERNMENT INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND YOU DO THE FINANCING RIGHT, YOU CAN PICK UP SO MUCH FINANCING, MONEY, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, JUST FROM AROUND.

THESE ARE PRETTY SPECIFIC NUMBERS.

YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS THAT INDUSTRY CITY HAS PUT OUT.

YOU LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENING AT LIBERTY VIEW.

THE PLAN FOR THE BROOKLYN ARMY TERMINAL.

THE FERRY SYSTEM, ALTOGETHER, THE PROJECTIONS WERE PROBABLY OFF.

YOU MEAN MORE.

THIS IS A GRAND SCALE.

IN OUR OPINION, THIS IS THE NEXT GREAT NEW YORK GRAND SCALE PROJECT.

YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN, THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARGUE WITH ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE IMMEDIATE INFRASTRUCTURE CRISIS THAT NEW YORKERS FACE, THE CRUMBLING SUBWAY SYSTEM, THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO DIVERT OUR ATTENTION OR OUR DOLLARS TO LONG TERM PROJECTS LIKE THE ONES YOU'RE PROPOSING.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

A COUPLE WAYS.

IT IS TIME TO GET BACK TO THE GREAT PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS OF FDR.

YOU PUT PEOPLE TO WORK.

YOU DREAMT BIG.

THE CITY WAS BUILT BY PEOPLE, THEY DREAMT BIG.

I THINK WE SPENT THE LAST HALF CENTURY PUTTING OUT FIRES.

WE FORGOT TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.

NOW IT IS A CRISIS.

I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE FOLKS WILLING TO THINK PAST THEIR TERM IN OFFICE.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS IN THE GREEN ROOM.

AND YOU KNOW, NO OFFENSE, YOUR FELLOW POLITICIANS, IT IS NOT THEIR HABIT TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON PROJECTS THAT WILL BE COMPLETED AFTER THEY LEAVE OFFICE.

PEOPLE THE WARM TO BE AROUND.

SFO YOU MAY NEVER ENJOY IT.

THAT'S PART OF BEING A LEADER.

I MIGHT NEVER ENJOY THE TUNNEL.

IT IS UP TO US TO GET THAT NICK HE MOVING.

WE OWE IT, NOT JUST TO THE PEOPLE HAD A DRIVE ON THE TUNNEL OR THE PEOPLE CREATING JOBS THERE.

FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS, THEY ENDURED THIS.

THEIR GRANDCHILDREN DESERVE NOT TO HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS EYESORE.

HAVE SOME OF THE WORST ASTHMA RATES IN NEW YORK CITY, POLLUTION, CONGESTION, THEY DESERVE IT MORE THAN US DRIVERS.

YOU KNOW THERE'S BEEN MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES.

THEY ALL FAILED.

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT?

THE ONE THING IS, AND IT IS VERY SIMPLE, THAT THE EXPRESS WAY DOES NOT HAVE A LONG LIFE SPAN.

IN TEN YEARS, THAT THING IS UNDRIVABLE.

THEY'RE REQUESTING TO HAVE TO ISSUE REQUESTS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE REPLACEMENT.

YOU HAVE TO REPLACE IT.

LET'S DO IT RIGHT.

IF THIS GOES THROUGH, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO BUILD?

I THINK THE TIME TO GET THE APPROVAL, GET PEOPLE ON BOARD IS LONGER THAN IT WILL TAKE ON BUILD IT.

LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY.

WHAT KIND OF DISRUPTION/NIGHTMARES WILL THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE COMMUNITIES HAVE TO ENDURE?

I THINK THE GOOD THINGS BY BUILDING A TUNNEL, YOU CAN LEAVE IT UP WHILE THE TUNNEL IS BEING BUILT.

IF YOU'RE REPLACING, YOU HAVE TO DO IT WHILE IT'S HAPPENING.

SO LEAVE IT UP.

BUILD THE TUNNEL.

FIGURE OUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY REBUILD COMMUNITIES.

WHILE YOU HAVE A ROAD RUNNING SO THAT YOU'RE NOT DISRUPTING PEOPLE.

AND THEN YOU'RE DONE.

WITH US WORKING ON IT, I WOULD PUT A SIZABLE WAGER ON IT.

THAT I THINK NOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO A PLACE THAT IS SO DIRE THAT WE'RE BASICALLY HAVING CELEBRATIONS WHEN WE GET A HANDICAPPED ELEVATOR IN THE SUBWAY.

AND THE CITY IS REACHING 9 MILLION PEOPLE.

THE SOMETIME TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS AND TO GET THE BALL ROLLING.

IT HAS TO START NOW.

CHINA IS DOING IT, GERMANY IS DOING IT.

THERE ARE PRONGS OF THIS MAGNITUDE ALL OVER THE WORLD.

I WAS RECENTLY IF CHINA.

THEY VISITED A SUBWAY IN THE CITY THAT I VISIT IN THE EIGHT YEARS.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.