>>> AS NEW YORK CITY RACES TO

EXPAND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE

CONTINUES TO FALL BEHIND.

FOR EXAMPLE, YEARS OF NEGLECT

HAVE BROUGHT BROOKLYN'S AGING

EXPRESSWAY TO A NOTORIOUS STATE

OF ON JEFF SESSIONS A--

CONGESTION.

NOW THEY WANT TO BURY IT WASN'T

AND FOR ALL.

THEY ARGUE THAT REPLACING THE

HIGHWAY WITH A TUNNEL WILL BRING

NEW JOBS, CLEANER AIR AND A MUCH

BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE TO THE

AREA.

JOINING US NOW AS PART OF OUR

ONGOING SERIES, PERIL AND

PROMISE, THE CHALLENGE OF

CLIMATE CHANGE.

AND WE'RE JOINED BY THE

PRESIDENT AND CEO OF NEW YORK --

AND JUSTIN THOMAS.

CARL, LET ME START WITH YOU,

WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU PROPOSING?

>> LOOK, I THINK YOU SAID IT

RIGHT.

THIS IS A NEGLECTED, AGING PIECE

OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS

BUILT IN A DIFFERENT ERA IN THE

UNITED STATES, BUILT BY ROBERT

MOSES FOR WHATEVER GOOD OR BAD

HE DID, WE KNOW THIS WAS ONE OF

THE --

>> HE DID SOME GOOD AND SOME

BAD.

>> THIS WAS ONE OF THE BAD.

THE PLAN IS SIMPLE, YOU GET OFF

THE VERIZONO BRIDGE IN BAY

RIDGE, THERE'S A TRENCH THERE,

YOU CONTINUE IT AND THEN INSTEAD

OF GOING UP ONTO AN EXPRESSWAY,

YOU GO DOWN INTO A TUNNEL.

THE TUNNEL WILL MEET THE BATTERY

TUNNEL IN RED HOOK.

YOU COULD GO INTO THE BATTERY

TUNNEL OR YOU CAN VEER RIGHT AND

GO INTO THE BROOKLYN QUEENS

EXPRESSWAY, GO TO THE BROOKLYN

BRIDGE, MANHATTAN BRIDGE OR OUT

TO QUEENS AND LONG ISLAND.

IT'S AN AMAZING PIECE OF

INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD TRULY

TRANSFORM THE BUREAU.

>> LET ME ASK YOU, COUNCILMAN,

HOW WOULD IT TRANSFORM THE

BURRO?

>> THE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE IT

NOW SITS HAVE COMPLETELY BEEN

REVITALIZED AND EXPLODED OVER

THE PAST 40, 30 YEARS.

THE BENEFITS WE WOULD SEE FROM A

TUNNEL, FREEING UP THIS AIR AND

SPACE, WOULD REALLY JUST BE SEEN

EXPONENTIALLY, ESPECIALLY SUNSET

PARK AND ALL THESE AREAS WHERE

WERE SORT OF FLYOVER AREAS, ARE

NOW BUSTLING AND VIBRANT

COMMUNITIES THAT DON'T DESERVE

TO HAVE A HIGHWAY CUTTING

THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> THINK ABOUT SUNSET PARK.

ROBERT MOSES BUILT AN EXPRESSWAY

IN SUNSET PARK THAT YOU CAN'T

GET ON FROM SUNSET PARK.

IT'S INSANE.

IT'S UNFAIR.

>> BUT, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING OF

SUNSET PARK, AND THE ARTICLE

THAT YOU BOTH -- THAT YOU

CO-WROTE, YOU SAY THAT INDUSTRY

CITY ALONE, IN SUNSET PARK, YOU

PROJECTED IT COULD GENERATE $1

BILLION IN INVESTMENTS AND

CREATE A TOTAL OF ALMOST 20,000

JOBS IF THIS PROJECT WENT

THROUGH.

WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE NUMBERS?

>> LOOK, IT'S VERY SIMPLE.

IF YOU LOOK ATE HISTORICALLY

WHEN THEY REDID THE HIGH LINE,

LOOK AT THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

THAT HAPPENED AROUND THERE.

WHEN THEY PUT IN A SEVEN TRAIN

EXTENSION, LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED

THERE.

WHEN THE STATE GOVERNMENT

INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND

YOU DO THE FINANCING RIGHT, YOU

CAN PICK UP SO MUCH FINANCING

MONEY, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, JUST

FROM AROUND --

>> THESE ARE PRETTY SPECIFIC

NUMBERS.

>> LOOK, YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

THAT INDUSTRY CITY HAS PUT OUT,

LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT

LIBERTY VIEW, THE CITY'S PLAN

FOR THE BROOKLYN ARMY TERMINAL,

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SUNSET PARK,

THE FERRY SYSTEM.

ALL TOGETHER THE PROJECTIONS

WERE PROBABLY OFF.

I MEAN, THIS IS A --

>> I MEAN, THEY'RE MORE.

>> THIS IS A GRAND SCALE.

IN OUR OPINION, THIS IS NEXT

GREAT NEW YORK GRAND SCALE

PROJEC

PROJECT.

>> YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN, THERE

ARE THOSE WHO ARGUE, AS YOU

KNOW, THAT WITH ALL THE

INFRASTRUCTURE, THE IMMEDIATE

INFRASTRUCTURE CRISES THAT NEW

YORKERS FACE, THAT WE DON'T HAVE

THE LUXURY TO DIVERT OUR

ATTENTION OR OUR DOLLARS TO

LONG-TERM LPROJECTS LIKE THE ONS

YOU ARE PROPOSING.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

>> A COUPLE WAYS.

IT'S TIME FOR US TO GET BACK TO

THE PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS OF

FDR.

WHEN YOU PUT PEOPLE TO WORK, YOU

DREAM BIG, THE CITY IS BUILT BY

PEOPLE WHO CAME HERE AND DID

NOTHING.

IF ANYTHING, THEY DREAMT BIG.

I THINK WE SPEND -- WE SPENT THE

PAST HALF A CENTURY PUTTING OUT

FIRES IN SO MANY PLACES THAT WE

FORGOT TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE,

TO PLAN FOR --

>> THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO THE

SUBWAY SYSTEM, AFTER ALL.

>> PEOPLE IGNORED IT AND NOW

IT'S A CRISIS.

SO I THINK THAT FOR ELECTED

OFFICIALS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE

FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO THINK

PAST THEIR TERM IN OFFICE, THINK

PAST THE DURATION OF THEIR LIFE.

>> WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS IN

THE GREEN ROOM.

AND YOU KNOW, NO OFFENSE, YOUR

FELLOW POLITICIANS, IT'S NOT

THEIR HABIT TO SPEND A LOT OF

MONEY ON PROJECTS THAT WILL BE

COMPLETED AFTER THEY LEAVE

OFFICE.

IS THAT A BIG OBSTACLE?

>> PEOPLE WANT TO BE AROUND FOR

THE RIBBON CUTTING, I GET IT.

I'M A TRUE BELIEVER IN PLANTING

SEEDS FOR TREES WHOSE SHADE YOU

MAY NEVER ENJOY.

THAT'S PART OF BEING A LEADER.

LOOK, THIS NEEDS TO GET DONE.

I MIGHT NEVER ENJOY THE TUNNEL,

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT

GENERATIONS TO COME SHOULDN'T.

IT'S UP TO US TO PUT THE NICKEL

IN THE JUKEBOX NOW TO GET IT

MOVING.

>> WE OWE IT, NOT JUST TO THE

PEOPLE WHO DRIVE ON THE BRIDGE,

OR THE PEOPLE CREATING JOBS

THERE, WE OWE THIS TO THE

RESIDENTS OF SUNSET PARK IN RED

HOOK WHO FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS

ENDURED THIS.

THEIR GRANDCHILDREN DESERVE NOT

TO HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS EYESORE,

THE WORST ASTHMA RATES IN NEW

YORK CITY, CONGESTION,

POLLUTION, THEY DESERVE IT MORE

THAN US DRIVERS WHO DRIVE ON IT.

>> THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE

OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PAST FOR

PROJECTS LIKE THE ONES YOU'RE

PROPOSING NOW TO BE BUILT, TO

TAKE HOLD.

BUT THEY ALL FAILED.

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT?

>> THE ONE THING IS, AND IT'S

VERY SIMPLE, IS THAT THE THE

GOANIS EXPRESSWAY DOES NOT HAVE

A LONG LIFE SPAN.

IN TEN YEARS THAT'S UNDRIVABLE.

THERE HAS TO BE A REPLACEMENT

PLAN FOR IT.

WE ARE GOING TO GET TO THAT

POINT IN A FEW YEARS WHERE THE

STATE IS GOING TO HAVE TO ISSUE

AN EIS, ISSUE REQUESTS TO FIGURE

OUT WHAT IS THE REPLACEMENT?

THE ARGUMENT IS SIMPLE.

YOU HAVE TO REPLACE IT.

LET'S DO IT RIGHT, AND LET'S

BUILD A TUNNEL.

>> COUNCILMAN, WHAT'S THE

PROJECTED TIME SPAN, IF THIS

GOES THROUGH, HOW LONG WILL IT

TAKE TO BUILD?

>> THAT'S TOUGH TO SAY.

I THINK THE TIME THAT IT WILL

TAKE US TO GET THE APPROVAL AND

GET PEOPLE ON BOARD IS LONGER

THAN IT WILL TAKE TO BUILD IT.

PUT IT THAT WAY.

>> BUT WHAT KIND OF

DISRUPTION/NIGHTMARES WILL THE

NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUTERS HAVE

TO ENDURE.

>> THE GOOD THING IS BUILDING A

TUNNEL, YOU CAN LEAVE IT UP

WHILE IT'S BUILT.

IF YOU'RE REPLACING, DO IT WHILE

IT'S HAPPENING.

LEAVE THE EXPRESSWAY UP, BUILD

THE TUNNEL, FIGURE OUT HOW YOU

WILL REBUILD COMMUNITIES, OPEN

UP THE WATER FRONT, CREATE JOBS,

LOWER ASTHMA, DO ALL THAT WHILE

YOU HAVE A ROAD RUNNING SO THAT

YOU'RE NOT DISRUPTING PEOPLE.

AND THEN YOU'RE DONE.

>> SO WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

WHAT ARE THE BETTING ODDS THAT

THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, OR THAT

THIS WON'T HAPPEN?

>> WITH CARLO AND I WORKING ON

IT I WOULD PUT A SIZABLE WAGER

ON IT.

LOOK, I THINK TALKING ABOUT

BEFORE, I THINK THE FACT THAT

NOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO A PLACE THAT

IS SO DIRE THAT WE'RE BASICALLY

HAVING CELEBRATIONS WHEN WE

FINALLY GET A HANDICAP ELEVATOR

PUT INTO A SUBWAY, IT'S

DESPICABLE.

IT'S 2018, WE NEED TO BE

DREAMING BIG AND PLANNING BIG

AND KNOWING THAT THE CITY --

WE'RE REACHING 9 MILLION PEOPLE.

SO, I MEAN, THE TIME IS NOW TO

REALLY -- TO MAKE THESE

DECISIONS AND TO GET THE BALL

ROLLING ON THIS STUFF.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF TIME

BUT IT'S GOT TO START NOW.

>> CHINA IS DOING IT.

DUBAI IS DOING IT.

GERMANY IS DOING IT.

I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE DOING

PROJECTS OF THIS MAGNITUDE ALL

OVER THE WORLD.

NEW YORK'S GOT A LEAD, AND THIS

IS THE PROJECT.

>> IN CHINA, THEY BUILT A WHOLE

SUBWAY UNDER THE CITY IN EIGHT

YEARS.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.