MTA Delays Purchase of Former Lawrence Aviation Property

By Hank Russell | Long Island Life and Politics

Cover photo credit – jannoon028 on freepik

Some elected officials are debating whether the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is right to hold off on the purchase of part of the former Lawrence Aviation site.

The MTA was supposed to buy a forty-acre tract of the Port Jefferson Station-based Superfund site on June 30 but decided to postpone the purchase until the end of the year.

The property is expected to replace the current Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station in Port Jefferson Station with a LIRR yard in which the trains would run on electric power to the Huntington LIRR station; the trains at the existing Port Jefferson Station location run on diesel fuel.
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the MTA and was referred to the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT). Glenn Blain, a DOT spokesperson, said in a statement, “The New York State Department of Transportation has been engaged in conversations with the MTA and Suffolk County regarding a portion of the former Lawrence Aviation property in [Port Jefferson Station] that the department acquired for use in a future highway project.” He had no further comment.

New York Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson Station) blasted the MTA for delaying the purchase.

”This is another example of the mismanagement of the MTA and their lack of care for the citizens of Long Island and particularly across the North Shore,” Flood said in a statement. “The MTA has long looked at Long Island as its personal ATM when cashflow is needed, but too often ignores the needs of our residents.”

In response, LIRR spokesperson Kayla Shults offered the following statement: “The LIRR Main Line Expansion Project is part of an unprecedented $17.7 billion investment to transform and modernize the Long Island Rail Road. That money is funding more than 100 projects, including the opening of service to Grand Central Madison, construction of a more spacious LIRR Concourse at Penn Station and a new entrance at 33rd Street, renewal and upgrading of 36 stations and 17 bridges, activation of the Positive Train Control safety system, installation of 13 miles of second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, upgrades to 15 electrical substations, parking capacity increases, yard expansions, and more. Additionally, the MTA, together with NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak, plans to seek federal funding to rebuild Penn Station into a world-class, single-level terminal.”

Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) said the site is “pretty much cleaned up,” and, while he believes the delay in the purchase will affect any future economic development, “it won’t hurt the environment.”
He also noted that the MTA has a long list of projects on its plate. “It’s not as if [the MTA] is going to make infrastructure changes anytime soon,” he said.

Englebright expressed confidence that the property will be purchased and is excited to see the construction of the new rail yard. “To have an electrification by rail into [New York] City for half of [the] county [riders] would be a game changer.”

Flood agreed, saying it has been “a top priority” since the early 2000s, but emphasized that nothing has been done yet. “All we hear from the MTA is excuses as to why this project cannot move forward, not solutions as to how it can be done,” he said. “This is a bi-partisan issue, promoted by virtually all elected officials who represent the afflicted areas.”

He also agreed that the rail electrification will not only improve the environment but boost the local economy. “The North Shore of Long Island has an abundance of great restaurants, bars, tourist attractions and hotels that will see a boost in revenue from an increase in tourism that will help ease the burden to local taxpayers,” he said. “It is a commonsense project that needs to happen as soon as possible. Further delays are unacceptable, and the MTA must do better.”

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