Learn All About The Challenges Of Building MTA's East Side Access Project Connecting Long Island Railroad To Grand Central Madison Terminal Presented By RIHS At Roosevelt Island Library Tuesday March 7 - Tunnel Goes Under Roosevelt Island F Train

Do you know what this structure is across from the Roosevelt Island F Train station? 

It's the ventilation shaft for the MTA's East Side Access Tunnel connecting the Long Island Railroad to the new Grand Central Madison Terminal. 

According to this June 2021 Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) article: 

... East Side Access is a megaproject that connects the LIRR to Grand Central, giving Long Island commuters the option to travel directly to East Midtown, reducing congestion at Penn Station. The project is the first expansion of the LIRR in over a century and it is expected that over half of Penn Station’s peak traffic will be diverted to the new 8-track terminal under Grand Central.

How does this involve us? The LIRR tunnel is the bottom half of our 63rd Street tunnel. Same tunnel. The basic East Side Access plan dates to the 1950s, but nothing happened, except the construction of our 63rd St tunnel. Plans for the LIRR connection were revived in the late 1990s. The project received federal funding in 2006, and construction began the following year. The tunnels on the Manhattan side were dug from 2007 to 2011, and the connecting tunnels on the Queens side were completed in 2012.

Major construction is complete. The 15-year long, $11 billion terminal and concourse is seven stories underground, and will allow Long Island Rail Road trains to pull into Grand Central Terminal and shave up to 40 minutes off commutes into Manhattan....

The RIHS is presenting a lecture on the building of the East Side Access Tunnel at the NYPL Roosevelt Island branch tomorrow, March 7. You're invited to attend and learn all about the project. RIHS President Judy Berdy reports:

Join the Roosevelt Island Library and the Roosevelt Island Historical Society as we welcome guest speaker Nasri Munfah and his presentation of “The Challenges of Building the LIRR Grand Central Madison Terminal – The East Side Access.” Mr. Munfah is a Professional Engineer and a Principal of Gall Zeidler Consultants, a global specialty tunneling and underground engineering firm. 

This is our first in person event since the Covid shutdown.

Here's more on the history of building the East Side Access Project from NY Railfan.