S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8560--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 20, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. KASSAY, STERN, GRIFFIN, SCHIAVONI, RAMOS -- read
   once and referred to the  Committee  on  Transportation  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  in  relation  to  directing the Department of Transportation to
   grant a permanent access and construction easement to the Metropolitan
   Transportation Authority
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "Furthering Rail Transit in Suffolk County Act".
   § 2. Definitions. For the purposes of this act:
   (a) "DOT" means the New York State Department of Transportation.
   (b) "Greenway" means the real  property  in  Port  Jefferson  Station,
 Suffolk  County,  New  York  owned  by  the New York State Department of
 Transportation identified as State Route 5232-A a/k/a the  Setauket-Port
 Jefferson  Station  Greenway Multi-Use Path, which is bound on the north
 by  real  property  identified  on  the  Suffolk  County  Tax   Map   as
 0200-159.00-02.00-020.000  and bound on the south by real property iden-
 tified on the Suffolk County Tax Map as 0200-180.00-04.00-002.000.
   (c) "MTA" means the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
   § 3. Easement to MTA. (a) The DOT is hereby authorized and directed to
 grant a permanent easement to the MTA permitting the MTA to  access  in,
 over, through and above, utilize, construct upon and operate, as needed,
 a  portion  of  DOT-owned  Greenway  to accommodate the potential future
 development of a railyard use traversing the Greenway in order to expand
 and improve public rail transit in Suffolk County, with  an  appropriate
 reversion  interest  to preserve the DOT's ability to construct New York
 State Route 25A, at its discretion.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13007-02-5
 A. 8560--A                          2
 
              

   (b) Not withstanding any other provision of law, the  Commissioner  of
 Transportation is authorized to transfer and convey said easement to the
 MTA, without appraisal, in consideration of one dollar.
   (c)  The DOT's grant of an easement over that portion of the Greenway,
 shall include language:
   (1) reserving to the DOT such rights as may be required in  the  event
 DOT  elects  to  have  a  bridge  constructed  over the current Greenway
 location in order to carry out the intended purpose for which the Green-
 way was initially acquired by DOT, namely the straightening of New  York
 State Route 25A;
   (2)  acknowledging  that  the  MTA  shall construct said bridge to DOT
 specifications;
   (3) acknowledging that the MTA's potential  future  development  of  a
 railyard  use  and  the DOT's potential future election to have a bridge
 constructed over the  current  Greenway  location  can  coexist  at  the
 current  Greenway  location  and requiring both parties to work coopera-
 tively in the planning and construction phases so that in the event both
 projects are undertaken, they will coexist harmoniously; and
   (4) acknowledging that the MTA shall reroute the  Greenway,  which  is
 presently being utilized as a pedestrian and bicycle path, to the parcel
 south of the current Greenway location.
   (d) The DOT is authorized and directed to work with the MTA to negoti-
 ate and execute the above-described easement within six months after the
 effective date of this act.
   §  4.  The  DOT may consult with any state or local office, agency, or
 department and request or receive information from any such entity  that
 is relevant and material to the completion of this directive to grant an
 easement to the MTA to accommodate the potential future development of a
 railyard  use  in  order  to  expand  and improve public rail transit in
 Suffolk County and preserving the DOT's ability to  construct  New  York
 State Route 25A at its discretion.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.