A $766.5 million Capital Investment Grant (CIG) agreement with New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) has been announced by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Portal North Bridge Project in Hudson County, New Jersey.
The project will improve the reliability of commuter rail service between New Jersey and New York by increasing capacity and reducing bridge maintenance expenses of the 100-year-old bridge.
New Jersey Transit will construct a new, two-track fixed structure railroad bridge across the Hackensack River in Hudson County along the Northeast Corridor to replace the aging bridge.
"FTA is proud to support the construction of a new railroad bridge which provides a vital link for rail passengers traveling between New Jersey and New York," said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. "The project reflects our collaboration with New Jersey Transit to increase transit service capacity and support continued economic development."
Williams added that "this federal investment underscores the administration's commitment to fund infrastructure that creates jobs and helps communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 public health emergency."
The total project cost is $1.888 billion, with $766.5 million in funding committed through FTA's CIG Program, which provides funding for major transit infrastructure projects nationwide. Projects accepted into the CIG program must go through a multi-year, multi-step process according to requirements in law to be eligible for consideration to receive program funds. There are additional inter-city rail activities in proximity to the CIG project that will be funded by New Jersey Transit and Amtrak.
With this announcement, FTA has advanced funding for 41 new CIG projects throughout the nation under this Administration since January 20, 2017, totaling approximately $10.7 billion in funding commitments.
