BILL NUMBER:  S415        Revised 1/20/17

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the highway law, in relation to
designating a portion of the state highway system as "New York State
First Responders Tunnel"

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

This bill designates the Queens Midtown Tunnel as the "New York State
First Responders Tunnel" in honor of the sacrifices our first
responders made on September 11, 2001 and the sacrifices they continue
to make on our behalf every day.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Section one of this bill designates the Queens Midtown tunnel that
crosses under the East River connecting state route four hundred
ninety-five, in the borough of Queens, with 34th Street between First
Avenue and Second Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, as the New York
State First Responders Tunnel.

Section two provides that the Commissioner of Transportation shall
provide for the installation and maintains of adequate signage.

Section three provides that this act shall take effect immediately.

              

 JUSTIFICATION :

This bill is meant to honor the brave men and women who responded to
the terror attacks in New York City, on September 11, 2001. When the
hijacked planes stuck the Twin Towers, millions of horrified New
Yorkers evacuated Lower Manhattan. But, our firefighters, police
officers and emergency workers raced towards the burning buildings.
They put their lives on the line in order to help save the innocent
people who were stuck inside the towers, and to assist those that had
been injured.

When the towers collapsed, many of our first responders were still
inside the buildings, assisting civilians that were injured and
trapped. Of the nearly 3,000 victims killed in the September 11, 2001
terror attacks, over 400 were first responders.

An eyewitness, who was in one of the first vehicles stopped near the
Queens Midtown Tunnel after the attack, spoke with the Times Free
Press in September 2016. He recalled "looking at the grim faces of
emergency workers in passing vehicles as they rushed toward the
disaster site". He said that he "often wonder's which ones of those
guys never came back" and he stated that what amazed him "was that
they all went. They had to know they were marching into hell."

By designating the Queens Midtown Tunnel as the New York First
Responders Tunnel, we can pay tribute to the brave men and women who
"went" and were fortunate enough to make their return back home
through the tunnel, and those who were not. Additionally, the
designation of this tunnel honors our current first responders and
recognizes the sacrifices they make in order to keep our state safe.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New Legislation.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS :

None.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
Immediately