While most downtown stations on NLR/CITY SUBWAY serve colleges, there is opportunity for residential development around norfolk street station. With Central ave as a midrise residential w sidewalk retail corridor. If they could ever demolish the collapsed county jail that will chase any developer away.
Another area is around Orange street station, with Orange street as potential redevelopment corridor. Same for the track portion adjacent to the Branch Brook Park in Upper Roseville, and Silver Lake area shared between Newark and Belleville.
There is certainly room for some development, but I think the track around the dorms on/near central ave would still most likely involve the colleges because some of those areas just aren't as desirable for standalone development. If they can get the colleges on board, I think that will bring the area up a little more (the way it did slightly when they built Univ Cent)
This is terrific news
NJ TRANSIT ADVANCES PENNSAUKEN TRANSIT CENTER PROJECT
Intermodal facility will directly link River Line and Atlantic City Rail Line customers for the first time
July 13, 2011
NJT-11-032
NEWARK, NJ — A project that will create a direct link between River Line light rail and Atlantic City Rail Line (ACRL) service advanced today, as the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved construction of the second and final phase of the Pennsauken Transit Center, which will offer convenience and new travel options to South Jersey customers when completed.
“By connecting South Jersey’s two rail lines, this new facility will expand the reach of these individual services, providing customers with convenient access to a much broader array of travel destinations,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson.
The Board authorized a $13.8 million contract with Terminal Construction Corporation of Wood-Ridge, NJ, for construction of Phase II of the Pennsauken Transit Center, including platforms, a parking lot, drainage improvements and customer amenities.
“The Pennsauken Transit Center will make the State’s rail and light rail service an even more attractive travel option for southern New Jersey residents,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein. “In addition, the new facility will enhance the interconnectivity of the overall NJ TRANSIT system, as customers may connect from the River Line in Trenton to Northeast Corridor rail service to New York and points in between.”
The transit center is being built in two phases along Derousse Avenue where the ACRL crosses above River Line tracks.
Phase I, which broke ground in October 2009 and is currently underway, covers River Line elements of the project, including construction of a 200-foot platform with 60-foot canopy to protect customers boarding light rail trains. The work is being performed under a separate $2.1 million contract awarded to Northeast Remsco, Inc., of Farmingdale, NJ, with ARORA and Associates, PC, of Lawrenceville, NJ, providing design services. The contract also includes installation of infrastructure and conduit for communications, security and ticket vending machines, grading, drainage, lighting and public art.
In Phase II, two 300-foot-long, high-level platforms will be built on either side of the elevated ACRL tracks, with a 100-foot canopy on each platform. Two sets of stairs will be constructed, as well as two elevators to provide access to customers with disabilities. The second phase also includes construction of a 280-space parking lot, a dedicated bus drop-off/pick-up area, drainage improvements, installation of a passenger communication system and a restroom facility, as well as resurfacing, curbing and lighting improvements to Derousse Avenue.
The approximately $32 million Pennsauken Transit Center will create or sustain hundreds of jobs and will for the first time provide thousands of customers with direct transfers and access to all stations on both lines.
The new facility will provide Atlantic City Rail Line customers with direct access to the River Line, with connections in Camden to PATCO rail and NJ TRANSIT bus service to Philadelphia, and in Trenton to NJ TRANSIT Northeast Corridor rail service to New York. River Line customers will gain direct access to Atlantic City, Philadelphia and all intermediate ACRL stations.
Construction of the overall project is expected to be completed in late 2012 and open for service in early 2013.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 895,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
http://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servl...ELEASE_ID=2691
High Line Hopes in Jersey City
By HEATHER HADDON
A rendering of a potential plan for the Sixth Street Embankment in
Jersey City has walkways and bike paths. [Roman Pohorecki]
After a seemingly endless legal battle, Jersey City is on the verge of getting its own version of Manhattan's High Line.
An abandoned elevated railway known as the Sixth Street Embankment has been the subject of a litigious preservation effort for more than a decade. Local groups and city officials want to transform the half-a-mile long stone structure into a grassy, landscaped park with skyline views, spanning Jersey City's gentrifying neighborhoods.
The park is also envisioned as an important link in a greenway spanning the East Coast.
Now, after a federal judge ruled against a developer blocking the park, a settlement that would hand control of the railway to Jersey City has been drafted and is awaiting approval.
"This has been an epic legal struggle," said William Matsikoudis, the Jersey City municipal attorney, who estimated the city has spent more than $500,000 in legal fees on the battle. "We're one step away from a settlement that will provide a world-class amenity for the people for Jersey City."
So far, the settlement has been tentatively approved by two of the three main litigants: Jersey City officials and Steve Hyman, a Manhattan investor who purchased the embankment from Consolidated Rail Corp. for $3 million in 2003 to knock it down and build housing. The city sued Conrail for making the sale, and Mr. Hyman, in turn, sued the city.
Under the terms of the settlement, the city would pay Mr. Hyman $7 million and Conrail would chip in $13 million to settle all the pending litigation, according to people familiar with the matter. Conrail would get development rights along the edges of the embankment, which could yield at least 300 housing units potentially valued at $10.5 million, other people familiar with the matter said.
The Jersey City Council is set to vote on the settlement Wednesday, and it appears likely to pass, said Councilman Steven Fulop, a project proponent.
The last remaining obstacle is Conrail, which is still examining the deal and wants a "number of open items" addressed, said Kevin Coakley, a partner at Connell Foley, who is representing the company. He wouldn't elaborate. "Conrail is hopeful a settlement can be achieved," he said.
Mr. Hyman, who has spent millions of dollars on the court cases, has signed the settlement, said one of his attorneys, Daniel Horgan. "Everybody wants it over with," said Mr. Horgan. "We would like everybody else to sign on it."
Even with Conrail's approval, the Jersey City version of the High Line may be a long way from reality. Initial construction could begin next year, Mr. Matsikoudis said, but designs haven't been finalized for the 110-year-old structure, formally known as the Harsimus Stem Embankment. The city would likely hold a design competition.
Still, hopes are high. It is "equal to or better than New York's High Line," said city Mayor Jerramiah Healy in a statement.
The sandstone-and-granite structure rises to 27 feet at its highest point and once carried Pennsylvania Railroad freight trains along seven tracks to the Hudson River waterfront. Conrail took over the embankment in the 1970s, but rail traffic ceased and nature took over. Ivy covers the walls and the structure is now a regular way station for monarch butterflies migrating from Canada to Mexico.
Early ideas to transform it into a park include landscaping the trees and plants already growing on top. A meandering walking trail and a bike path are possibilities along the 100-foot wide embankment, which is wider than the High Line, said Stephen Gucciardo, president of the Embankment Preservation Coalition, a volunteer group formed to save the historic relic.
Advocates want a "grand entrance" to the park's eastern section, while the western section would return to ground level and connect to the Bergen Arches, a railroad tunnel that runs through the Palisades.
The abandoned tunnel feels remote despite the highways and development around it, said Mr. Gucciardo. "It's like coming upon some kind of Mayan temple that has been overgrown. It's lost in time," he said.
The dream for advocates is to connect the embankment to the 2,600-mile East Coast Greenway, a trail that is under development from Maine to Florida. In New Jersey, 20% of the 93-mile trail is complete, said Rails to Trails, an advocacy group that promotes trails along railways.
The saga over the Sixth Street Embankment began in 1998, when former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler decided to knock it down for housing.
There was an outcry from residents, who in 1999 succeeded in getting the embankment added to the State Register of Historic Places. The City Council voted in 2004 to take it over for a 6.5-acre park by eminent domain.
The city sued Conrail in 2005 for selling the land to Mr. Hyman, who then filed a dozen separate suits over myriad issues involving the land.
Settlement negotiations got a shot in the arm Friday when the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected Mr. Hyman's case and backed the city.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...302461274.html
^^^That's bad news. Parks are nice, but Jersey City needs housing and it needs transit. A park is basically the least efficient use of this land.
I agree. Bad move by JC. It needs more density and transit. Doesn't need more open space.Originally Posted by Hamilton
And you can't just replicate the High Line. High Line works because it's in a hyper-desirable neighborhood, and received hundreds of millions in donations and govt. cash.
At least the air rights can be transferred for nearby development, so Jersey City hasn't totally blocked new construction. You'll still see growth along the viaduct.
JC has plenty of transit and there are one to many undeveloped lots that are being used as parking downtown to use this space for housing.
It needs more East - West Routes , the PATH is already at capacity during rush hr...
I consider the brownstone neighborhoods of Hasimus Cove and Hamilton Park very desirable.
There was an earlier proposal by the City to have the HBLR turn west and go along part of 6th St, similar to Essex St, below the Embankment then up into the Bergen Arches out to Secaucus Jct. iDK what happened to that; now it will be just the park it seems like.
I'm thrilled with JC having our own High Line, but I felt the combined proposal was the best option.
The RiverLINE
Delanco
DSCN2922 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr
Rancocas Creek Bridge
DSCN2974 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr
DSCN3044 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr
Riverside
DSCN3034 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr
DSCN3035 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr
DSCN3041 by Nexis4Jersey09, on Flickr
Track repairs have slowed service on NJ Transit’s River Line since late August, but the modified schedule — which reduced the frequency of trains during weekday rush hours — has not translated into an exodus of riders.
A total of 664,360 passengers rode the Camden-to-Trenton line during the latest quarter of January through March, up 6.6 percent from the same quarter last year, according to the latest NJ Transit statistics.
Weekday ridership this past quarter averaged 8,540 passengers a day, and weekend ridership averaged 8,970 passengers daily.
More riders also took the train during the second quarter spanning October to December, which averaged 8,560 weekday riders and 9,650 weekend riders.
The increase in ridership occurred even though the line has operated under a reduced schedule since late August, after rains from Hurricane Irene caused an embankment to collapse on a section of rail between the Bordentown and Roebling stations, destroying a portion of track in the process.
The rails that were lost were not part of the main track that takes Trenton to Camden but were “passing siding,” described as an offshoot of track that allows two trains to pass each other on the largely single-track line.
Without the siding, NJ Transit was forced to alter its weekday service from trains arriving at stations every 15 minutes during weekday rush periods to every 30 minutes weekdays and weekends.
Work to repair the lost track continues, but NJ Transit officials have not said when it will be completed or when service at 15-minute intervals will be restored.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/loca...fcfdbf5de.html
HBLR Success Story; Expansion Being Studied
Housing Developers Among Biggest Backers of Light Rail Expansion
By Joe Hernandez • Nov 26th, 2012 • Category: Featured, News
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published by our media partner NJ Spotlight.
When a light rail line is routed through a neglected neighborhood, housing developers see an opportunity waiting to happen.
That has been the case for Hudson County since the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail first opened in northern New Jersey in 2000. Traffic on the line has grown exponentially, along with new housing, as the HBLR has expanded throughout the towns that border the Hudson River.
Indeed, municipal officials say the line has become so important to efforts to revitalize the area that some housing developers are considering investing in the light railway’s expansion.
“The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail is an American success story of how transportation innovation can turn abandoned properties into thriving communities,” says Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), a vocal champion of the HBLR.
Today the light rail network shuttles upward of 42,000 riders each day through 24 stations across Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City, and North Bergen.
“But there’s more growth to be had,” says Jay DiDomenico, director of the Hudson Transportation Management Association. “They designed the HBLR well beyond what they thought the capacity would be, and we’ve blown way past that.” The HBLR can no longer accommodate its rapid rate of growth, which has led to passenger overcrowding and train and automobile traffic.
In an effort to increase capacity on the overpopulated light rail line, the Federal Transportation Administration recently gave New Jersey Transit a $400,000 grant to study three possible improvements.
One aspect of the study will be to determine the cost of those improvements. The original HBLR was paid for through a combination of state and federal funding, and the most recent grant came courtesy of the FTA.
To date, the HBLR has cost $2.2 billion. And while NJ Transit hasn’t released any estimates on the potential cost of improvements, building a light rail infrastructure can easily reach well into the tens of millions.
But federal and state budgetary belt-tightening has made the outlook gloomy for costly transit system improvements funded by taxpayer dollars.
Private Contributions
That’s where the housing developers come in. Anticipating that increased capacity on the HBLR will lead to a rush of new residents and consumers, these companies are reportedly considering pumping some of their own money into the project.
“Actually we’re talking to the [housing] developers,” says Rosemary McFadden, chief of staff to Jersey City mayor Jeremiah Healy. Because of the success of other urban development projects near HBLR lines, “some of [the housing developers] are interested in putting in their own money.”
The largest of the three potential improvements — building a new light rail station at Jersey Avenue and 18th Street in Jersey City — would have the greatest impact on housing development. Just across the Hoboken border, this intersection is home to a new 20-story condominium with more than 10,000 square feet of available retail space.
Light rail tracks already run through the neighborhood, which is seeing increased attention from developers and commercial businesses.
The second improvement would fix a “choke point” in Hoboken Terminal, where a convergence of tracks allows only a certain number of light rail cars through at a time. The study will explore the possibility of adding another track to relieve congestion.
Hoboken Terminal currently services the HBLR, nearly 10 rail lines, the PATH, several bus lines, and NY Waterway ferries.
The third improvement would ease traffic congestion on Paterson Plank Road between Hoboken and Palisade Avenue, where the HBLR runs along the street. The study will look for ways to accommodate the high volume of light rail cars while cutting down on vehicular traffic.
The HBLR has undergone expansions and refurbishments in the past, most recently the Danforth Interlocking in Bayonne, where additional tracks divert certain cars to service the “core” of the system, according to NJ Transit.
There are also plans to extend the HBLR into Tenafly or Englewood via the Northern Branch rail line, which has been cut off from passenger rail service for over 50 years. And while there are no current plans to expand across the Hudson into New York just yet, a new bus route connecting Staten Islanders to the HBLR could signal future interstate growth.
JCI file photo
http://www.jerseycityindependent.com...ail-expansion/
Are they saying that Cast Iron Lofts is a condo building? Or is that just a typo? That area is one of the few remaining gold mines of long-term real estate investment in Hudson County...Just across the Hoboken border, this intersection is home to a new 20-story condominium with more than 10,000 square feet of available retail space.
Edit: Nevermind. Looks like the building will start leasing next month - 2BD/2BA units from $3,050...
I'm hoping they add some condo buildings to the mix. I'd love to settle there.
Last edited by tbal; January 10th, 2013 at 10:26 PM.
Why do you feel that area is a "gold mine of long-term real estate investment"?
Probably because that area is totally underdeveloped prime land just a few minutes from Manhattan. Sounds like a pretty good investment to me.
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