A new design has been revealed for the long-debated and controversial plan to build a bridge connecting Long Island to Connecticut. The proposal, which would create a direct crossing between the two, has been the subject of debate for years, and the revised version has put the idea back in front of officials.
The most notable change in the updated plan is the addition of tunnels at either end of the bridge. According to the developer, the tunnels would minimize the span's impact on either shoreline, altering how the crossing would meet land on both the Long Island and Connecticut sides in a shift from how the project had previously been envisioned.
The new design was put forward by developer Steve Shapiro, who testified before Connecticut lawmakers on Monday. Shapiro said he had studied and researched the plan thoroughly and that, after additional research, he had concluded the tunnel approach was a better play than earlier versions of the crossing he had pushed.
The proposal has long divided opinion, and it continues to draw sharp criticism. The idea of a tunnel and bridge across Long Island Sound has been around for a long time, but skeptics argue it is costly and environmentally dangerous, with one assessment delivered to lawmakers describing the plan as a non-starter.
The cost attached to the project is substantial. The plan was described to lawmakers as a 50 billion dollar undertaking, with its backers pointing to what they see as its economic upside, saying the crossing would generate billions of dollars annually for the region once it was built and operating.
At the same time, the account presented to lawmakers was candid about how long the path forward would be. Even in a best-case scenario, it would take roughly two years just to secure final approval for the project before any construction could begin.
The building of the bridge itself would stretch well beyond that. After approval, the estimate is that it would take another five to 10 years to actually construct the crossing, meaning that even under the most optimistic timeline, any completion would remain years, and potentially more than a decade, away.