NJ TRANSIT, with the approval of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is redirecting $503 million dollars in federal grant funding to support vital resiliency infrastructure improvements at Hoboken Terminal, County Yard in New Brunswick, and the Raritan River Bridge. This funding, which includes the 25% local share, was originally allocated to NJ TRANSIT’s TransitGrid Microgrid Central Facility (MCF) in Kearny.
An intensive review of industry proposals for the MCF revealed that the project was not financially feasible. Further, since this project was originally designed, multiple improvements to the affected power grid have been enacted that have functionally made the MCF as envisioned at that time much less necessary than other critical resiliency projects. More specifically, PSE&G has made significant investments in power grid resiliency under a program called “Energy Strong” throughout the region that has greatly increased power reliability. To that end, NJ TRANSIT management, along with the Board of Directors, determined that the MCF funding would have greater benefit if applied to other key resiliency projects to harden the rail system’s more highly exposed infrastructure, which are at greater risk of failure in the face of increasing climate-related threats, and will directly benefit transit users every day.
“Reallocation of the MCF funding not only supports these high-priority resiliency projects, it also ensures that good-paying, union construction jobs that this funding supports remain in New Jersey,” said NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “We appreciate the close partnership with the FTA that will better protect our transit system for all New Jerseyans.”
“NJ TRANSIT is grateful for the US Department of Transportation’s support throughout this entire process,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “While the TransitGrid procurement process provided valuable knowledge for the future, it showed the funding would be better used to protect these other critical points around the state. This determination was reinforced by New Jersey’s utilities’ work to strengthen the state’s power grid since Superstorm Sandy.”
-via Press Release
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