NJ TRANSIT’s board awarded Walsh Construction Co. a $40 million contract for the construction of Phase One of the Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement, or “Long Slip,” project adjacent to the Hudson Bergen Light Rail and the Hoboken Yards. When fully completed, the Long Slip project will allow NJ TRANSIT to operate train service longer leading into, and recover more quickly from, storm events.

“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,” said NJ TRANSIT President/CEO Kevin Corbett.

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.

The $40M contract 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 $16.5M contract with STV, Inc. for construction management services for both phases of the project. In October 2016, the Federal Transit Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact following its review of the Supplemental Environmental Assessment prepared by NJ TRANSIT.