Transportation
Project Managment and Funding
Port Jersey Intermodal Freight Rail Project
MBA
was retained by the Port Jersey Railroad to secure authorization of
$750,000 in CMAQ funding for construction of a second track lead into
Port Jersey. This project required careful collaboration between the
NJTPA, NJDOT Bureau of Freight Services, Bureau of Local Government
Services, FHWA and City of Jersey City, including both the Mayor's office
and the Redevelopment Authority. The "project authorization package"
included a number of innovative steps. MBA assisted in the development
of a Public Private Partnership between the NJDOT, Jersey City and the
Port Jersey Railroad and completed the required air quality and public
benefit analyses. Because of its innovative nature, MBA was invited
to make a presentation to the Deputy Administrator of the FRA in Washington
in November 1998 and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Eastern
Region Conference in Montreal, 1999.
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Hackensack River Pathway
MBA
is working with the City of Hackensack and the County of Bergen to plan
and implement a critical section of the proposed Hackensack River Pathway
through central Bergen County. Under contract to the County, MBA has
brought together a multi-disciplinary team to plan a pathway between
Johnson and Foschini Parks that will enhance environmental, recreational,
transportation and economic revitalization goals of the City and County.
This pathway will serve as a critical link between two existing parks,
open up the riverfront to recreational users, and will tie into the
proposed light rail line at Mercer Street. While this collaborative
planning effort is being completed, MBA has advanced the notion of a
Riverfront Walkway as part of a successful funding application under
the New Jersey Green Acres program. A grant of $500,000 has been obtained
for acquisition and construction. The pathway will link to a number
of other related projects, including the Anderson Street Bikeway.
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Mercer Street Railroad Bridge Replacement
The vertical and horizontal clearance restrictions on
the NYS&W railroad bridge over River Street in Hackensack have caused
traffic congestion and diverted trucks onto Hackensack's Main Street
commercial corridor for over three decades. Although a high priority
project for the City, a solution has been difficult to achieve because
of the need to develop a consensus between the NYS&W railroad, which
owns the bridge, and the County of Bergen, which owns the road that
passes under it. Muller Bohlin Associates worked closely with the City
of Hackensack to develop a public-private partnership, including the
County of Bergen and the NYS&W railroad. Once agreement was reached
on the different roles, MBA developed a Local Aid Funding Application
for the City of Hackensack and successfully obtained $150,000 for the
development of a design that will preserve freight service and protect
the right of way for construction of a second light rail track if desired.
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