The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

It now costs nine dollars to drive into central London. Though they bristled at first, today the clear majority of Londoners love the new "congestion charge" because everyone now gets to work faster.

Good afternoon. My name is Paul Harrison and I am here representing Transportation Alternatives. More than 800 of our members live within two miles of the Gowanus Expressway.

T.A. calls on the New York State Department of Transportation to:

Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) is a 4,500 member New York City citizens group. More than 800 of our members live within two miles of the Gowanus Expressway. The course the State Department of Transportation has set on with the Gowanus Expressway is short-sighted and a misuse of scarce tax dollars. Rarely does $1 billion become available to invest in our transportation network. With the goal of making a more intelligent decision, T.A. calls on the New York State Department of Transportation to:

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TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES, INC., BOERUM HILL ASSOCIATION, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION, INC., CARE ABOUT THE SLOPE, CARROLL GARDENS ASSOCIATION, INC., RED HOOK CIVIC ASSOCIATION, SUNSET PARK RESTORATION COMMITTEE, INC., UNITED PUERTO RICAN ORGANIZATION OF SUNSET PARK, DYKER HEIGHTS CIVIC ASSOCIATION, MATTHEWS AND RYAN MUSICAL PRODUCTS, INC. and BENJAMIN M. MESKIN (the "COMMUNITY PARTIES")

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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ("NYSDOT") and FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION ("FHWA")

Transportation Alternatives (T.A.), NYC's 5000-member advocates for environmentally sensitive transportation, today applauded Councilmembers Fisher and Rodriguez's City Council-funded initiative to study the feasibility of replacing the elevated Gowanus Expressway with a tunnel, as well as their overall support for the proposed Gowanus tunnel.

The idea of burying the Gowanus Expressway has again burst onto the scene, this year being sparked by the Brooklyn chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The group released renderings to the Daily News showing an expansive park residing where a highway once rested, with a new bridge in the harbor off in the distance that would replace the Gowanus. Shortly thereafter, Curbed posted images by dLand Studio, who had also been working on a study burying a portion of the highway.

One of the worst highway projects ever was the construction of the Gowanus Expressway, an elevated freeway that decimated the vibrant urban neighborhoods it passed through.  Transportation Alternatives and the community have sued to prevent the reconstruction of this highway in favor of a tunnel.