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Schumer: Feds should allot $100M to Queens bus plan

An ambitious fast bus project the city Department of Transportation is planning in Queens should get $100 million in federal money, Sen. Charles Schumer said Thursday.

A new route for Select Bus Service — the MTA and city’s version of bus rapid transit — is being planned for Queens’ Woodhaven Boulevard. Unlike other SBS routes in the city, this one could include separated bus lanes right in the middle of the thoroughfare, a popular design in South American and European bus systems.

The $200 million project could be eligible to get half of its cost covered through a U.S. Department of Tranpsortation grant program.

“This ‘bus rapid transit’ plan can turn this corridor from a transportation desert to a transportation oasis for tens of thousands of Queens residents, and also be a boon for local property value and area businesses,” Schumer said in a statement.