Van Wyck Expressway Capital Improvements Project  

About the Session

The Van Wyck Expressway (VWE) is a vital transportation corridor providing access to and from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City– a major international gateway to the United States, with 70 carriers serving 100 international non-stop destinations. Overall, the airport handles 58.9 million passengers with over 400,000 aircraft operations annually and is one of the world's leading international air cargo centers. The VWE also serves as the major route for commercial traffic to get to and from the airport, with trucks accounting for eight percent of morning peak volume and five percent of evening peak volume.The Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project will increase capacity on the VWE between Kew Gardens Interchange and JFK Airport (4.3 miles) through construction of an additional (managed-use) lane in each direction, improve vehicular access within the corridor by removing or relocating entrance and exit ramps, and address structural deficiencies of the bridges within the project limits. A Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision was issued jointly by New York State Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration in August 2019. The focus of this presentation will be on how the design was influenced by the visual impact analysis (following NYSDOT's Guidelines for Visual Impact Assessment of Highway Projects), detailed renderings, a 3D model of the corridor, and public input. The Preferred Alternative was designed with consideration of the potential for visual impacts to residential and other receptors, due primarily to removal of large areas of trees and landscaping and construction of noise barriers. During this iterative process, where potential adverse visual impacts were identified, the design was altered where practicable to minimize the impacts. In addition, mitigation of adverse visual impacts were identified, including the use of transparent noise panels.

Track: 

• Transportation 

About the Speaker

Nicole Weymouth Environmental Manager, Project Manager, Supervising Environmental Planner WSP Nicole Weymouth, an Environmental Manager, Project Manager and Supervising Environmental Planner with WSP, has over twenty years’ experience in environmental compliance and planning, with an emphasis on urban transportation infrastructure. She has a Bachelor’s of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters of Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia. Her work has included National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, permitting, policy analysis, technical writing, risk assessment, and sustainable development.  She has focused on transportation and development projects for various lead agencies such as the New York State Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and has worked in the New York City metropolitan area for over twelve years.

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