Senator Carl L. Marcellino (R,Syosset), chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, announced a joint hearing with the Senate Transportation Committee on the Long Island Sound Tunnel proposal. The hearing is set for Thursday, Jan. 24 at 10:30 a.m. in the Town of Oyster Bay hearing room, which is located at 54 Audrey Avenue in Oyster Bay.

Oral testimony by invitation only.

The proposed tunnel is approximately 16 miles in length and would extend from Route 135 (Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway) in Syosset, to the intersection of I-287 and I-95 in Rye, NY. The project would be funded by the private sector and cost approximately $10 billion. The toll is estimated at $25 dollars each way.

The tunnel is expected to carry between 59,000 and 79,000 vehicles per day when it is completed in 2025. According to the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, annual average daily traffic in 2006 at the Queens Midtown Tunnel was 79,359.

"This is a serious proposal by serious people. It must be fully reviewed before we change the landscape of Long Island forever," said Marcellino.