WEEHAWKEN FERRY TERMINAL PROJECT UNVEILED AT NJ TRANSIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Public/Private Partnership to Improve Trans-Hudson Transportation Options
CONTACT: Michael Klufas (973-491-7078)
NEWARK, NJ, July 11, 2001 -- Work to advance a long-sought light rail line that will connect downtown Elizabeth with Newark International Airport will proceed following today's authorization by the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors of a Letter of Intent between NJ TRANSIT, Union County and Washington Group International (WGI).
The $4 million agreement allows WGI -- which has offices in Princeton -- to proceed with design and engineering work, cost estimates, real estate acquisition, environmental support tasks and other work that will help the three organizations make decisions regarding the future of the proposed 6-mile Elizabeth segment (MOS-3) of the Newark-Elizabeth Rail Link (NERL).
The proposed route runs from midtown Elizabeth east into the citys Elizabethport section. That area has seen rapid economic development during the past decade with the opening of the Jersey Gardens Mall and the IKEA complex, as well as the addition of several office buildings. Plans are also underway to create a ferry terminal near the mall and build a hotel/office complex in the area.
"This light rail line will prove to be a shot in the arm not just for Union County residents, but for people from surrounding counties and cities," said NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman and State Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein. "It will reduce highway congestion, and provide new employment and shopping opportunities for thousands of people."
"As with several other NJ TRANSIT rail projects, this route will utilize historic right-of-ways previously used by commuter trains," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "We look forward to the day when Elizabeth residents can again board the train at the Central Rail Road of New Jersey's old Elizabeth station. This time, instead of providing connections to New Y
CONTACT: Anna Farneski (973-491-7078)
NEWARK, NJ, July 11, 2001 -- NJ TRANSIT's Board of Directors today approved a record $1.138 billion Fiscal Year 2002 (FY02) Operating Budget, which maintains and enhances existing bus and train service to meet ridership growth, and provides funds for other service improvements.
The budget includes expenditures of $1.138 billion offset by $569.4 million in passenger revenue and other system-generated revenues, $260 million in State operating assistance and $308.8 million in other State and Federal reimbursements. The FY02 budget also includes funds to address overcrowding on the bus and rail systems, and directs resources to maintain core bus and rail services, implement new service initiatives and respond to State and Federal mandates.
"This budget provides funds for new and enhanced services that will benefit thousands of additional New Jersey residents," said State Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Weinstein. "Our thanks to Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco, the State Legislature and the New Jersey Congressional Delegation for their continued support for public transportation."
"At NJ TRANSIT we are always looking for ways to increase and improve our system for the residents of the State of New Jersey and this budget enables us to cope with overcrowding, launch new services and preserve the existing levels of service," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "This budget also allows the Corporation to continue the critical effort of maintaining our rolling stock and ensuring the safety of our customers and employees."
Highlights include:
- Continued Passenger Revenue/Ridership Growth -- The FY02 budget assumes the eleventh con
CONTACT: Michael Klufas (973-491-7078)
NEWARK, NJ, July 11, 2001 -- For 85 years, the railroad bridge over Franklin Avenue in Ridgewood -- adjacent to Ridgewood Station -- has carried trains of four different railroad companies. But after many years of service, the bridge requires a complete rehabilitation -- a project on which its current owner, NJ TRANSIT, will soon embark thanks to action taken today by the Corporation's Board.
The Board approved a $1.82 million contract with H&G Contractors of Ridgewood to rehabilitate the Franklin Avenue Bridge. H&G will waterproof the bridge, remove deteriorated concrete and restore historic concrete elements.
"NJ TRANSIT wants to be a good neighbor to Ridgewood by acting on concerns about pieces of concrete falling from the Franklin Avenue bridge, as well as its general appearance," said NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman and State Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein. "By this time next year, the residents of Ridgewood and NJ TRANSIT will have a bridge that is visually pleasing and structurally improved."
"Eighty-five years of service is a long time, especially for a bridge that has carried hundreds of thousands of trains," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "The Franklin Avenue Bridge carries much of NJ TRANSIT's rail service in Bergen County and New York State. Maintaining this bridge is critical to retaining current levels of service on the Main and Bergen County lines as well as preparing these lines for increased service that will be required by the opening of Secaucus Transfer."
The Franklin Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1916 as part of a grade separation project. Over the years, moisture has seeped through the bridge's concrete and steel superstructure, causing pieces of concrete on the bridge's underside and sides to break away from steel girders
CONTACT: Penny Bassett Hackett (973-491-7078)
NEWARK, NJ, July 11, 2001 -- NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Weinstein and NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh today announced the appointment of internationally renowned Cesar Vergara to the newly created position of Chief Designer.
Vergara -- an award-winning industrial designer with more than 20 years of transit experience in North America, South American and in Europe -- will oversee the design of new NJ TRANSIT locomotives, rail coaches, buses and facilities, with his primary focus to enhance the customer environment in rolling stock and at NJ TRANSIT bus and rail facilities. The Corporation is preparing to receive more than 2,000 pieces of equipment by 2005.
"A person of Cesar's expertise is a rare find," said Weinstein, who is also New Jersey's Transportation Commissioner. "We are honored that he has chosen to join NJ TRANSIT and look forward to his contributions as we work to make NJ TRANSIT a truly world-class transportation organization."
"It is truly a coup for NJ TRANSIT to have attracted a man of Cesar's caliber to shepherd the future of the Corporations look and feel," said Warsh. "I know our customers will appreciate Cesar's presence when they step aboard our new rail cars and buses and enter our facilities. He will be a critical member of the team leading NJ TRANSIT into the 21st century, and I am pleased that Commissioner Weinstein has been supportive in our efforts to bring him aboard."
Vergara -- who turns 45 on August 1 -- comes to NJ TRANSIT from Walter Dorwin Teague Associates, an international design-consulting firm based in Redmond, Washington. During his time with Teague, Vergara worked on the new generation of Track Geometry Inspection Vehicles (TGIV), including one purchased by NJ TRANSIT that has been nominated for an international desig
CONTACT: Michael Klufas at NJ TRANSIT (973-491-7078)
CONTACT: Lynn Fleeger at NJ Turnpike Authority (732-247-0900, ext. 5601)
NEWARK, NJ, July 11, 2001 -- NJ TRANSIT, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and Allied Junction Corporation today finalized a joint development agreement that will lead to the construction of NJ TRANSIT's Main-Bergen Connection serving the Secaucus Transfer Station, a New Jersey Turnpike Interchange between Interchanges 15E and 16E on the Eastern Spur, and a potential office complex at the Secaucus Transfer Station site that would consist of 3.5 million square feet of office space and a hotel.
The $140 million reimbursement agreement -- one of the largest public-private partnership agreements in United States history -- allows NJ TRANSIT to accelerate construction of the Main-Bergen Connection and a grade crossing separation project on New County Road, while the NJTA constructs the Seaview Drive Extension and thus permits completion of the new interchange in Secaucus. The NJTA will advance $84 million and be reimbursed as the commercial development progresses by Allied Junction Corporation, an agent of the George W. Newman Irrevocable Trust and partial owners of the land where Secaucus Transfer Station is being built.
"This agreement paves the way for improved transportation options throughout the region," said James Weinstein, State Transportation Commissioner, NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman and a member of the NJTA Board of Commissioners. "The Main-Bergen Connection will ease transfers for rail commuters at the Secaucus Transfer Station, while the New Jersey Turnpike interchange will significantly
CONTACT: Penny Bassett Hackett (973-491-7078)
NEWARK, NJ, July 11, 2001 -- The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors and members of the public today were presented with a comprehensive overview of the proposed Weehawken Ferry Terminal public/private partnership project -- which will be served by NJ TRANSITs Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system and NY Waterways ferry service on the Hudson River waterfront within the next five years.
The project is one of five approved by the New Jersey Department of Transportation under the Public/Private Partnership Act of 1997, which provides funding for demonstration projects involving the private sector that enhance public transportation and related services in New Jersey. The ferry terminal will allow NY Waterways to double its existing trans-Hudson ferry service between New Jersey and New York over the next ten years and ease traffic congestion at New Jersey's existing Hudson River crossings, which are at or near capacity.
"As the senior New Jersey Member on the House Transportation Committee, I was pleased to help in this unprecedented effort by delivering more than $11 million to build the new Weehawken Terminal and provide continued funding for the completion of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail," said U.S. Congressman Robert Menendez. "Our work to take cars off the streets and to provide our citizens with economic empowerment through an affordable and integrated transportation network will improve the quality of life for New Jerseyans throughout the region."
"This effort will combine the expertise and resources of the State of New Jersey and NY Waterways to quickly deliver a project that improves regional mobility and encourages economic development along the Hudson River waterfront," said NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman and State Transportation Commissioner James Weinstein. "Thanks to the support of Actork, the Elizabeth segment of NERL will transport customers to economic opportunities along New Jersey's waterfront."
"Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents will benefit from this decision," said Union County Freeholder Daniel P. Sullivan of Elizabeth. "It will reduce traffic congestion by providing alternative transportation to Newark International Airport and Port Elizabeth, and it will bring new jobs and economic opportunities to this region. We would like to thank Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco for placing the funds for this project in his budget."
The Elizabeth segment of NERL would begin at the Central Rail Road station in Elizabeth -- where connections would be available to NJ TRANSIT's Northeast Corridor trains -- and continue to the Elizabeth waterfront. It would then travel past the Jersey Gardens Mall and the IKEA complex to Newark International Airport.
The Elizabeth segment of NERL is currently scheduled for completion in 2005, the same year that the first operating segment of NERL -- a one-mile extension of the Newark City Subway between Penn and Broad Street Stations in Newark -- would open. In the future, an additional segment of NERL would be built between Newark Penn Station and Newark Airport, thus completing the NERL system.
The projected construction cost of the Elizabeth segment of NERL is $265 million. The initial operating segment of NERL -- between Newark Penn and Broad Street stations -- will cost $209 million to construct.
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing bus, rail and light rail services for 383,900 daily commuters on 240 bus routes, two light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 26 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, Newsecutive year of ridership growth. Passenger revenue is expected to increase $18.9 million in FY02 over last year's budget, bringing the total increase over the past 11 years to approximately $152 million.
- State Operating Assistance Increase -- Consistent with the budget approved by the State Legislature, State operating funding is budgeted at $260 million, an increase of $50.9 million over the previous year, an increase of 24.3 percent.
- Funding to Cope with Overcrowding -- The FY02 budget includes more than $13 million to address overcrowding on the bus and rail systems, including supplemental State funding of up to $4 million. Our bus and rail systems respectively attract 600 new customers per month, while some of our rail lines are at 130 percent capacity.
- Support for New Service -- The proposed budget supports implementation of new services including the expansion of Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, and opening of the Newark International Airport Station, the Montclair Connection and the Newark City Subway Extension, and startup costs for the new East End Concourse in Penn Station New York.
- Response to Mandates -- Also included in the budget are increased funds to comply with State and Federal mandates to increase Access Link paratransit service and respond to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety mandates.
Following is more detailed information:
REVENUE
- Ridership/Passenger Revenues -- The FY02 budget includes passenger revenue of $493.1 million. This represents an increase of $18.9 million compared to the FY01 budget.
- Additional NJ TRANSIT construction costs on Secaucus Transfer Station. This includes strengthened station foundations required to support planned office buildings above the station.
- Construction of the Main-Bergen Connection.
- Construction of the Seaview Drive extension, which will connect to the new Turnpike interchange.
- Construction of the New County Road overpass over Main and Bergen line tracks near Secaucus Transfer Station.
- State Operating Assistance -- The FY02 budget includes State operating assistance of $260 million, an increase of $50.9 million, consistent with the State budget adopted by the State Legislature. The State budget also includes language that allows for supplemental funding of up to $4 million to address overcrowding on the bus and rail systems.
- Other State and Federal Reimbursements -- Other State and Federal reimbursements are budgeted at $308.8 million, an increase of $28 million compared to the FY01 budget. This includes State and Federal funding designated for specific purposes including maintenance costs, county transportation programs, facility leases, capital program implementation, equipment, planning studies and a variety of other reimbursable projects. Federal capital funding increased by $46 million to support preventative maintenance costs. To offset the increased use of capital funds for operating costs, the State budget provides a one-time increased funding of $50 million from the Transportation Trust Fund to replace the Federal capital funds reprogrammed for maintenance costs.
The Franklin Avenue Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historical Places. Ridgewood Station was listed on the register in 1984. The rail station and bridge were included in Ridgewoods historic downtown district, which was created by the Village Council in 1994.
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing bus, rail and light rail services for 383,900 daily commuters on 240 bus routes, two light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 26 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
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n award.
"I am pleased to a join dynamic transit Corporation with a stellar reputation in the industry," Vergara said. "This is a company on the move, and it is an incredible thrill for me to contribute my talents toward the goal of making NJ TRANSIT an organization that serves as a model of excellence throughout the world."
Vergara spent ten years as Amtrak's chief designer, leading design efforts on the Superliner II, the Genesis Engine, the Surfliners and the United States Postal Service's "Celebrate the Century Express" -- a train which visited NJ TRANSIT's Hoboken Terminal last September during the 2000 Try Transit Festival. He also worked on the Americans with Disabilities Act and was responsible for standardizing Amtrak's graphics. Prior to his Amtrak service, Vergara was the chief designer for Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (National Railways of Mexico) and a senior designer with Henry Dreyfuss Associates in New York. He began his career at Utveckilngs Design in Stockholm, where he worked on numerous rail projects including the X-2000 high speed train.
Vergara has been a featured writer in a number of books worldwide, including The Art of the Streamliner by Bob Johnston and All About Railroads by William Vantuono, and was interviewed by the History Channel in 1999. He holds Masters and Bachelors degrees in Industrial design from University College of Art and Design in Stockholm, Sweden -- the oldest design school in the world.
Vergara resides in Ridgefield, Connecticut with his wife and four children.
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing bus, rail and light rail services for 383,900 daily commuters on 240 bus routes, two light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 26 light raienhance vehicular access to a new office complex to be constructed above the rail station, as well as provide another entrance to the surrounding business district with improved traffic flow."
The $140 million in infrastructure reimbursements to be paid by Allied Junction consist of:
"The New Jersey Turnpike is a important component of the state's commerce and transportation networks," said NJTA Board Chairman Francis X. McDermott. "This agreement allows the Turnpike Authority to advance a critical highway link to increase the flow of traffic into the Meadowlands District while supporting Allied Junction's progress with plans to construct an office complex above Secaucus Transfer Station."
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority will construct a new interchange and extend Seaview Drive. This extension will follow construction of NJ TRANSIT's Main-Bergen Connection, which will allow NJ TRANSIT to vacate a section of the Bergen County Line just east of the HX Drawbridge in Secaucus. The Seaview Drive extension will run along this vacated right-of-way. The George W. Newman Irrevocable Trust will also transfer permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers allowing construction of the Main-Bergen Connection to NJ TRANSIT. This action wiing Governor DiFrancesco, this public/private partnership will be crucial in addressing New Jersey's current and future growth in commuter trips across the Hudson River."
"Our rail and bus service to and from midtown Manhattan is already near capacity, particularly during rush hour," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "Visionary projects like this create new partnerships between the public and private sectors that will improve the quality of life and property values for thousands of New Jersey residents."
"Thanks to Acting Governor DiFrancesco, Commissioner Weinstein and NJ Transit Executive Director Warsh, this innovative public-private partnership will offer thousands of commuters a safe, reliable, fast and environmentally-friendly alternative to the area's overburdened bridges and tunnels," said NY Waterways President Arthur E. Imperatore, Jr., whose company presently transports 32,000 people per day (eight million passengers per year) via 11 routes from New Jersey to Manhattan. "This is the wave of the future, and we expect the number of ferry commuters between Weehawken and Manhattan to double over the next 10 years."
Today's presentation paves the way for future public meetings and input on the project -- including an upcoming Weehawken Planning Board meeting and a joint public hearing conducted by State and Federal agencies.
"I'm pleased that Commissioner Weinstein, Executive Director Warsh and NJ TRANSIT are committed to listening to local input on this project," said Weehawken Mayor Richard F. Turner. "This ferry terminal would make Weehawken one of the truly intermodal communities for mass transit and would benefit our residents while also helping alleviate traffic congestion and allowing commuters from Weehawken and nearby communities to more easily access the waterfront and reach their job destinations."
The new fer York and Philadelphia.
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EXPENSES
- Labor and Fringes -- Labor and fringes, which represent approximately 60 percent of the operating budget, total $684.5 million. The budget includes increases and authorization to pay consistent with current and proposed labor contracts, the annualizl stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
### ll allow NJ TRANSIT to expedite construction of the connection.
"The Main-Bergen Connection is a critical component of the successful launch of the Secaucus Transfer Station," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh. "Today's historic agreement allows us to accelerate construction of the connection, easing connections at Secaucus Transfer for rail passengers transferring to trains serving northern and central New Jersey."
By moving ahead with construction on the Main-Bergen Connection, NJ TRANSIT will avoid construction of temporary platforms to serve current Bergen County Line service at Secaucus Transfer Station, which would have cost $11 million. Construction on the Main-Bergen Connection is expected to begin in August and last approximately 16 months.
NJ TRANSIT also will construct an interlocking on the Main Line where trains can move from one track to another at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. The new interlocking will be constructed after the connection is completed. A third component of the project will allow the Main Line to be expanded to four tracks from the Main-Bergen Connection until it meets the Morris & Essex Lines near the Bergen Tunnel, a distance of approximately 2.2 miles.
In addition to approval of the joint development agreement, NJ TRANSIT's Board of Directors today awarded a $27.7 million contract to Railroad Construction Company, Inc. of Paterson for the Main-Bergen Connection project. The 4,500-foot connection will reroute Bergen County and Pascack Valley line trains to the Main Line just west of the Secaucus Transfer Station. In addition, two new tracks will also be built along the Main Line through Secaucus Transfer Station.
### ry terminal building -- which will replace an undersized and aging terminal at the site -- will house NY Waterways ferry service from Weehawken to several destinations in New York. The ferry terminal -- which is currently proposed as a three-story structure and 26,000 square-feet in space -- will include a waiting area, retail space and docking capabilities for four ferry boats.
The project also includes an 800-foot waterfront pedestrian esplanade, providing scenic and convenient pedestrian access to the new terminal. Additionally, the Town of Weehawken is working closely with Romulus Development Corp. -- the owner of the land where the terminal will be built -- and Port Imperial South LLC Master Plan to encourage transit-friendly economic development around the terminal.
The Board of Directors today authorized NJ TRANSIT to award a $2.4 million contract to the most responsive and responsible proposer to oversee the proposed construction of the ferry terminal. A construction contract for the ferry terminal will be advertised for bid next spring, after the public has an opportunity to comment on the project.
This past March, the Board authorized a letter of agreement with New York Waterways ferry service and Romulus for the construction of the terminal building and the long-term lease of the facility. The partnership agreement was approved last month by the Joint Budget Oversight Committee of the New Jersey Legislature.
In exchange for constructing the terminal, the State of New Jersey will receive a lease fee from NY Waterways and Romulus Development Corp. based on the number of ferry passengers carried on the Weehawken ferry service. The cost of the project is not to exceed $25 million. The Federal government would provide 83 percent of the funding; the balance would be provided by the State Transportation Trust Fund or other State funds.
The Hudson-Bergen ation of non-agreement merits and increases in fringe rates primarily due to rising medical costs. The labor budget also funds increases in bus operator and train and engine crew costs to support new service initiatives and core system service growth as well as increases for vehicle maintenance and the implementation of FRA safety mandates.
- Fuel, Power, Materials and Supplies -- Expenses for fuel, power, materials and supplies are budgeted at $155.9 million, or approximately 14 percent of the total operating budget. This includes funding for an increase in diesel fuel prices to $.86/gallon (compared to the FY01 budgeted rate of $.70), increases in electric propulsion costs, vehicle parts and other maintenance costs.
- Purchased Transportation -- Purchased transportation expenses are budgeted at $113.4 million, or approximately 10 percent of the budget. This includes increased funding for Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and Access Link paratransit service.
- Other Expenses -- All other expenses are budgeted at $184.4 million, or approximately 16 percent of the budget. This includes funding for outside services, utilities, injury and damage claims, insurance, tolls, trackage fees, leases, tax, marketing and other miscellaneous costs.
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's only statewide public transportation system providing bus, rail and light rail services for 383,900 daily commuters on 240 bus routes, two light rail lines and 12 rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 26 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
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