NJTPA Update Blog

May 2018

Passaic County, NJTPA Study Receiving Smart Growth Award

Posted: 5/10/2018 12:00:00 AM

New Jersey Future will honor Passaic County, the NJTPA and WSP, the consultant on the project, with a Smart Growth Award for the Great Falls Circulation Study during an award ceremony in Newark on June 6.

The study provides an analysis of opportunities for redevelopment, improved circulation, enhanced pedestrian mobility and expanded access to Great Falls National Historic Park in Paterson. It was funded through the NJTPA’s Subregional Studies Program. A pdf of the study is available here

“These awards showcase not just exemplary plans and projects, but the leadership teams that are setting the standard for redevelopment in New Jersey,” said Peter Kasabach, executive director of New Jersey Future in a news release. “We hope and expect that other towns, developers and designers will learn from, and emulate, these examples. That’s why we created this competition, offer short videos of the winners and then catalog their successes on our website.”

The Great Falls Circulation Study is among seven winners this year. Other projects include an indoor urban agriculture project, repurposing of industrial buildings and green stormwater and resiliency work. The awards celebration is being held at the historic Great Hall at Rutgers University-Newark on June 6 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

“Redevelopment has become increasingly the norm for how New Jersey will accommodate its growth, and demand for our older, already-built places continues to rise,” Olivia Glenn, south Jersey metro regional manager for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and chairwoman of this year’s Smart Growth Awards jury, said in a news release.
[May 17, 2018]

NJTPA, State Officials Tour Conrail's North Jersey Operations

NJTPA Chair Angel Estrada, NJTPA Acting Executive Director Mary Ameen and Central Staff joined Acting NJ Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti for a tour of Conrail’s operations in North Jersey on May 9.

The trip highlighted several projects that received federal funds and were supported by the NJTPA Board of Trustees. This includes:
  • Port Reading Junction improvements and the Bergen Tunnel Clearance project, which are part of The Liberty Corridor, a series of multi-modal transportation projects that were funded by Congress in 2005.
  • The addition of a second track to the Passaic & Harsimus (P&H) Line in Kearny, using remaining Liberty Corridor funds.
  • Construction of a ship-to-rail intermodal container transfer facility (ICTF) and Greenville Yard in Jersey City. This project received about $80 million in federal earmarks and grants.
  • The Cross Harbor car float operation in Greenville Yard, which received a federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act grant.
The tour also highlighted several projects Conrail hopes to complete in the future, including replacement of the Point No Point Bridge over the Passaic River, which was built in 1901; the Waverly Loop project, which would allow trains to enter Oak Island Yard in Newark from the P&H Line without reversing into the yard; and adding a second track to the National Docks Branch from CP Green to Linden Avenue in Jersey City.

Also on the trip were representatives from Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s Office, officials from Norfolk Southern and Conrail; Joseph Bertoni, Deputy Commissioner of NJDOT and Nicole Minutoli, Director of Multimodal Services at NJDOT.

[May 10, 2018]