NYC Mayor Would Consider Staten Island – Manhattan Tramway Proposal

With the North Shore area seeing a surge of residential and commercial growth, there’s sure to be a corresponding uptick in traffic congestion. This is likely the reasoning behind the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s suggestion for a $175 million tram between Manhattan and Staten Island. This transportation alternative for commuters and tourists could move up to 15,000 people each day between the two islands.

Mayor Bill De Blasio, at a recent news conference on other topics, said that while he hadn’t seen the proposal, the idea would certainly merit looking into. “Any proposal for how to move people around is worth examination,” said De Blasio.

A representative for the New York City Economic Development Corporation would have to study the plausibility of building a 5.7 mile tram over water before issuing a Request for Expressions of Interest for tram system developers. Therefore, any consideration by the mayor at this stage would be premature to say the least.

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