NJ Transit’s $40M Flood-Busting Project Advances In Hudson County

HOBOKEN, NJ — NJ Transit’s $40 million “Long Slip” project in Hudson County took a major move forward last week when the agency awarded a contract for phase one of the flood-busting effort.

On Oct. 16, NJ Transit announced it gave the Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement contract to Walsh Construction Company. When completed, the project – which is located next to the Hudson Bergen Light Rail and Hoboken Yards – will help NJ Transit deal with devastating weather events such as Superstorm Sandy, which prompted a “wake up call” at the agency, officials stated.

Here’s how NJ Transit describes the project:

“The Long Slip on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City is a third of a mile, one hundred-foot wide canal alongside the tracks at NJ Transit’s Hoboken Yards, formerly used for shipping traffic which has been inactive for more than 40 years. The storm surge from Superstorm Sandy caused the Long Slip to overflow its banks resulting in significant flood damage to the yard and weeks of remediation. The project will modify the Long Slip to eliminate it as a conduit for flood water.”

According to NJ Transit:

“The $40 million contract awarded [Oct. 16] is for Phase One of the project which includes a sewer overflow extension and filling in and leveling of the canal to allow for the construction of a new station. Phase Two, expected to be awarded in 2021, will install six new tracks over the filled canal to service three ADA-accessible, high-level boarding platforms above expected flood levels. The elevated position of these tracks and platforms will improve commuter rail service to and from Hoboken Terminal in advance of and immediately following a storm or other event and will enable more efficient train operations under normal operating conditions.”

In March, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved a $16.5 million contract with STV Inc. for construction management services for both phases of the project. In October 2016, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued a “Finding of No Significant Impact” following its review of the supplemental environmental assessment prepared by NJ Transit.

The project received a Competitive Resilience Grant from the FTA. More information about the projects in the Resiliency Program is available online.

“Superstorm Sandy was a wake-up call in terms of NJ Transit’s vulnerability to major weather events, and our resilience projects are geared toward reducing our risk and extending our ability to operate during emergencies,” President and CEO Kevin Corbett said.

“The Long Slip project will reduce the impact of future storms and flooding on our services out of the Hoboken Yard, and this contract with Walsh Construction is a major step toward operational security,” Corbett said.

• See related article: New Twists For Redevelopment Plan Near Hoboken Terminal

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Hoboken Facebook page.