NJ TRANSIT is moving forward with one of its major Sandy resilience projects with the call for bids on the construction contract for 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. The Long Slip project will allow NJ TRANSIT to operate train service longer leading into, and recover more quickly following, storm events.

“Superstorm Sandy had a devastating impact on vulnerable areas of our transit system. The storm’s aftermath taught us how critical it is to rebuild our infrastructure with resiliency firmly in mind,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “The Long Slip project will mean future storms will do far less damage. It also provides us the opportunity to construct new ADA-accessible rail platforms well above surge levels that adds greater capacity at Hoboken Terminal, and further ensures the integrity of our transportation network following extreme weather events.”

The Long Slip on the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City is a third of a mile, 10-foot wide canal alongside the tracks at NJ TRANSIT’s Hoboken Yards, formerly used for shipping traffic but 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.

NJ TRANSIT has issued a notice for construction companies to bid on the first phase of the project, filling in and leveling the canal. Interested bidders can find more information here. Bids are due by July 18.

The second phase 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 after a storm or other event, and will enable more efficient train operations under normal operating conditions.

The call for Phase 1 construction bids is part of a series of actions that will move the Long Slip resilience effort forward. 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 (FTA) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact  following its review of the Supplemental Environmental Assessment prepared by NJ TRANSIT.

The Long Slip project is part of NJ TRANSIT’s Resilience Program, a concerted and ongoing effort to make the transit system and infrastructure stronger and more reliable following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The project is receiving funding from the FTA.