Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is The Nassau Hub Study?
Nassau County initiated The Nassau Hub Study Alternatives Analysis/Environmental Impact Statement (AA/EIS) in the Spring of 2010. Funded mainly through Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants, the Study will identify transportation access and mobility issues within the Nassau Hub and make recommendations for improvements that will enhance the existing transit network, provide new transportation choices, address congestion issues, and support economic development efforts.
Where is The Nassau Hub?
The Nassau Hub occupies an approximate 11.7-square mile area in the heart of Nassau County, and is home to the Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, Museum Row, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the County Government Center, Nassau University Medical Center, Mitchel Field/Eisenhower Park, Roosevelt Field and other notable County features. Additionally, thousands of residents, employees, students and others live, work, or travel in and through the area. However, this crucial economic center, so vital to the future of Nassau County, faces substantial traffic congestion, which results in longer commutes, decreased environmental quality, and overall difficulty in traveling within and through the area.
Why undertake The Nassau Hub Study?
The Nassau Hub is a crucial economic center which is vital to the future of Nassau County. In 2003, the Nassau County Planning Department (NCPD) began efforts to position the County to be eligible for federal grants for improving, upgrading and extending the transit network within the County, specifically the Hub. In the Nassau Hub Major Investment Study (MIS), completed in 2006, the NCPD concluded that improving transit services would be an effective strategy for ameliorating the Hub's growing mobility issues while encouraging economic development. In addition, the MIS found that federal grants could potentially be used to help study, plan and implement transit improvements in the Hub. Therefore, Nassau County is undertaking the Nassau Hub Study AA/EIS – mainly with funding from the FTA AA program – to further investigate transportation improvements that may be eligible for FTA New Starts funding. federal funding, The New Starts program would potentially fund a significant portion of the proposed transit improvements. As a feasibility study, the MIS findings were the starting point for the Nassau Hub Study.
What are the problems?
The Hub currently has substantial traffic congestion, which has resulted in long commutes, decreased environmental quality, and overall difficulty in traveling to, from and within the area. Missing or incomplete transportation linkages combined with the disjointed land use patterns in the Nassau Hub Study Area, are serious problems impeding mobility and economic development opportunities. The existing built transit system, for example, provides limited North-South transit connectivity to the Hub. The MIS projected that future traffic conditions would be characterized by increasing levels of roadway congestion.
What is the difference between the Primary Study Area and the Regional Study Area?
The Study Area comprises both the Primary Study Area and the Regional Study Area. The Primary Study Area is the Nassau Hub, that is, the 11.7 square-mile area at the heart of the County which contains major attractions including Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, Roosevelt Field, the Source Mall and Museum Row. The Regional Study Area – which contains the Primary Study Area – has been delineated to consider connections to other activity centers and key economic development opportunities outside of the Primary Study Area. The Regional Study Area extends slightly northwest of Mineola, northeast to Syosset, east to Bethpage, west through portions of Garden City and south to Freeport. It is possible that the Regional Study Area may be redefined over the course of the AA, based on study analyses and finding, and thus is also termed the Preliminary Regional Study Area.
What is the process for The Nassau Hub Study?
Transportation improvement projects seeking Federal funding must follow a standard planning process. An important early step in this planning process is the preparation of an Alternatives Analysis (AA). An AA is prepared to document existing and future transportation problems, evaluate a range of potential alternatives to address those problems, and select a locally preferred alternative (LPA) for more detailed environmental studies and engineering. The AA will be completed in about one year, after which an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) may be prepared to identify the potential impacts of the LPA on the human and natural environment. The LPA is then evaluated for potential funding under the FTA New Starts/Small Starts programs. Projects that are eligible for funding include, but are not limited to, fixed guideway systems – that utilize a dedicated right-of-way – such as bus rapid transit, light rail, heavy rail and automated guideway transit and other infrastructure improvements. Federal assistance is provided to Small Starts projects up to $75 million for projects that have a total capital cost of less than $250 million, while New Starts do not have a funding cap.
Who can participate in The Nassau Hub Study?
Two Study committees were formed to assist Nassau County throughout the AA/EIS process. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) provides regulatory, policy, operating, and design guidance during the AA/EIS process. The TAC includes representatives from Federal, State and local agencies, transit operators, County and municipal officials, as well as other agencies and organizations with technical expertise. The Stakeholder Committee serves as a liaison between the general public and Committee members' organizations and the Study Team to provide input and feedback throughout the Study. Participants on the Stakeholder Committee include elected officials, business organizations, institutions and civic groups. Additionally, the Study Team wants to hear directly from the public and will provide the public with multiple opportunities to review Study information, ask questions, and provide input and comments. This will be done through public meetings, smaller group meetings, an interactive website (info@nassauhubtransit.com. We want to hear from you! We suggest you visit the website often to review project materials, provide comments and learn about upcoming meetings and Study information.
Do you have a specific question that is not answered here? Submit your questions and comments to the Study Team at info@nassauhubtransit.com.
Other suggested questions:
What is an LPA?
An LPA, or Locally Preferred Alternative, is the selected alternative – screened from a list of potential candidate projects – that establishes the concept and scope for a major transit investment that is eligible for New Starts/Small Starts funding from the FTA.
Who chooses the LPA?
The LPA is selected by local and regional decision-makers and adopted by the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in its financially-constrained metropolitan transportation plan.
How is this Study different from Lighthouse?
The Lighthouse is a multi-use development that was proposed within the Nassau Hub Study Area. If the Lighthouse development was constructed, it would be accessible by any new transit system that would be implemented.
How is this Study being funded?
The study is funded mainly by FTA grants.
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