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FTA 45-03
Contact: Kristi Clemens
Tel.: (202) 366-4043
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces $127 Million to the New Jersey Transit Corporation
NEWARK, NJ -- Residents in New Jersey will benefit from expanded rail service as a result of three grants totaling $127 million announced today by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.
“The Bush administration is committed to building a safe, secure and reliable transportation system that operates efficiently, strengthens the economy and improves our quality of life,” Secretary Mineta said. “This investment will allow even more residents in northern New Jersey and the surrounding areas to enjoy the many benefits of public transportation, including increased community mobility, reduced traffic congestion and protection of the environment.”
During a ceremony at Newark Airport Rail station, the Secretary presented a check to George Warrington, Executive Director, New Jersey Transit Corporation.
A $59,014,944 grant will pay for architectural, engineering, project administration and management services and construction design for a one-mile extension of the Newark City Subway from Penn Station to Broad Street Station. The project has two new construction components: an 850-foot cut and cover tunnel that will bring the light rail line from the existing underground Newark City Subway to the surface, and a 0.8-mile alignment that will take the light rail line across Newark’s downtown to the Broad Street Station. The project adds five stations, including one at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and will provide easier transit access from Newark’s north side and suburbs to the office complexes and academic institutions around Penn Station.
A second grant for $18,884,782 is the seventh installment on the initial Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System. The system, which has contributed to a major increase in development along the New Jersey Waterfront, is designed to span 20.5-miles with 30 stations from 5th Street in Bayonne to the Vince Lombardi “park and ride” station in Ridgefield. This FFGA funded the initial segment of the system from 34th Street in Bayonne to Hoboken Terminal. Service between 34th Street and Exchange Place in Jersey City and between West Side Avenue and Exchange Place began on April 15, 2000. Three additional station stops in Jersey City were added on Nov. 18, 2000 and service to Hoboken Terminal began on Sept. 29, 2002.
The final grant for $49,179,120 to New Jersey Transit Corporation will pay for a 6.1-mile extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System. The new segment will extend north for 5.1 miles from Hoboken Terminal to Tonnelle Avenue with a 1-mile segment on the southern end from 34th Street to 21st Street in Bayonne. The extension will add seven station stops to the system. Service to 21st street will begin in December 2003 and service to Tonnelle Avenue will begin in the fall of 2005.
The grants are part of the multi-year Full Funding Grant Agreement executed between New Jersey Transit Corporation and the Federal Transit Administration on Oct. 15, 1996, Aug. 2, 2000 and Oct. 31, 2000.
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