2. EXISTING CONDITIONS 2.1 History of Circulation in Jersey City 2.2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Jersey City Master Plan / Circulation Element 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS As part of the background work in developing this Circulation Element, a detailed assessment of the history of circulation in Jersey City and an inventory of the baseline conditions of the City’s transportation system were prepared. 2.1 History of Circulation in Jersey City Photo Source: Jersey City Division of City Planning Strategically located on the Hudson River and with easy access to Upper New York Bay, the City of Jersey City was an important center for shipping and maritime activity during the peak of the industrial revolution of the early nineteenth century. This status was reinforced when the Morris Canal was completed at Jersey City in 1836, giving the City shared direct linkage with the Delaware River at Phillipsburg and with important inland points, such as Newark and Paterson. Jersey City continued to serve as a transit point between Upper New York Bay and inland points to the west, but as the industrial revolution progressed, new technologies enabled the development of newer, more efficient forms of transport than canals. Consequently, railroads followed and terminals were constructed along the Hudson River waterfront and other points in the City. One example is the historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, which originally opened in 1864 and is located in what is now Liberty State Park. With terminals located on the Hudson River, it was not long before ideas about a rail linkage to New York City began to evolve. This led to the construction of what is now known as the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train, which commenced operations in 1907 after many arduous years of tunneling under the Hudson River. At the same time as the PATH train’s tunnel was being constructed, new developments in the field of electricity were being made. Electricity was being transformed from a scientific curiosity to an essential component of modern life as America’s cities were electrified during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This period of urban electrification was evident in Jersey City with the development of an electric trolley system in the early twentieth century. The advent of the mass-produced automobile and a period of growing prosperity led to the rise of the automobile as the dominant form of transport. Consequently, Jersey City witnessed a period of extensive highway construction from the 1920s through the 1960s with the construction of such notable projects as the Holland Tunnel, Pulaski Skyway, and Hudson County Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike. Each of these remains a vital component in Jersey City’s transportation system. In recent years, new investment in Jersey City and growing concerns for the environment have led to the creation of new transportation options, such as light rail and pedestrian walkways, and the recommendations that are identified in this Circulation Element. 2.2 Transportation System Overview The City of Jersey City has an extensive transportation network that provides quick and convenient connections with New York City, Newark, and all areas of the greater region. This transportation system is broad-based in nature and consists of passenger and freight rail lines, bus routes, ferry services, truck routes, ports, and proximity to an international airport. Page 7 Jersey City Master Plan / Circulation Element Figure 2.2-1 maps the Multi-Modal system in Jersey City, and Figure 2.2-2 maps just the passenger rail system; both maps indicate existing and proposed conditions as indicated in the legends on the respective maps. 2.2.1 Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Service The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) is a privately-operated light rail service that is owned by NJ TRANSIT. The HBLR consists of three lines that connect with other modes of transportation and link important destinations, such as Exchange Place, Harborside Financial Center, Liberty State Park, and Pavonia-Newport in Jersey City, with the adjacent communities of Bayonne, Hoboken, Union City, and North Bergen, as well as nearby Weehawken. Photo Source: Ted Ritter / NJTPA As of March 2009, HBLR operates daily from 5:00AM to 1:00AM with ten-minute headways at peak weekday travel periods. Headways at all other times are fifteen minutes, except between the hours of 9:00PM and 1:00AM when trains run every twenty minutes. Discounts of fifty percent off of the regular-fare one-way tickets are available to senior citizens, children between the ages of five and eleven, and the disabled. Bicycles may be transported free of charge during off-peak hours. With approximately 12.3 million passenger trips in 2008, HBLR is widely recognized as a tremendous success. Consequently, there have been proposals to expand services. 2.2.1.1 Westside Avenue – Tonnelle Avenue This line extends from the park-and-ride lot located at Westside Avenue and Claremont Avenue to the park-and-ride lot that is located at Tonnelle Avenue and 51st Street in North Bergen. It serves a total of eleven stations in Jersey City, including Westside Avenue, which has a park-and-ride lot and bus connections; Martin Luther King Drive, which has bus connections; Garfield Avenue; Liberty State Park, which has a park-and-ride lot and bus connections; Jersey Avenue, which has bus connections; Marin Boulevard, which has ferry connections; Essex Street, which has ferry connections; Exchange Place, which has bus, PATH, and ferry connections; Harborside Financial Center, which has ferry connections; Harsimus Cove; and Pavonia-Newport, which has bus, ferry, and PATH connections. In addition to the above, the line also serves the 9th Street-Congress Street station. While this station is physically located in Hoboken, an elevator from the platform to the top of the Palisades Cliffs provides access to the Heights neighborhood in Jersey City. This station has bus connections. It is also noted that transfers to other HBLR lines are available at all stations, except for Westside Avenue, Martin Luther King Drive, and Garfield Avenue. Page 8 H u ds on -B e e n rg i en L L ty N R n T u J o 3 C n e rg N 8 e J 5 B 3 S E C O N D A R Y 9 1 NJ 3 49 5 S EC 9 O 1 ND 3 A RY 4 8 T N E M N IG 2 85 L A T 83 S 2 E W - 83 E IK P 83 N R U T . .J N , 5 9 I- 1 23 Y N R J A 49 D 5 N O 2 2 C 6 E 8 S T N E M 2 N 2 IG L A 2 2 T S E 6 W - 8 E IK P N R U T . .J N , 5 9 I- N ort S he E as C t C A o rr U ido C r L E U ine IK S P N 2 R UR D T . ( .J C , N R 5 I-9 n 6 o 7 4 i 8 6 t ) 4 t a 6 S g r 8 e 6 4 b 6 e n t 2 u a 4 4 L 6 6 3 8 3 2 1 3 8 8 8 LE 5 O 2 3 N 1 A 2 RD 1 S T ( CR 8 66 8 8) 319 I-95, N.J. TURNPIKE SECONDARY C O U S ) L N EO 9 9 N 9 T 8 A Y R 6 D C S R R T D C (C ( R ( 66 C E 8) R V A 6 5 N 3 O P ) O S P L LA E R S N T I- ( 2 CR 8 3 0 66 2 6) 1 S t E e C 2 e O r N 4 t D 6 S A R 8 9 Y 4 3 7 . 86 6 W o 84 t 2 t 2 ee C tr ON 4 S G 8 h 0 RE 4t 8 SS Hoboken 1 I-2 S T ( CR 66 4) 85 ) 9 4 6 R C ( E V H a c k e n s a c k R i v e r S A 9 E 9 1 C C 23 A R ) R 7 E 4 B T 6 R ) C ( 5 6 E 6 V A R C Y ( ) 7 T E 6 R V 6 E 3 A R IB ZA 8 B E C L R ( IS G K D E IE I 7 V S R 8 T A ( CR B M K 6 6 5 C 2 A ) 2 ) 1 C O 1 C 8 ) 6 7 N N 1 A ) R J 6 7 H 1 C 7 ( t S R E 6 e r C C D O ( R e R e N r t E C D t ( K A V n R S A C99S E N C e Y A R V A T 9 L I A L C T O M P 3 l N K A M . V R N a E U i ( ) O O C S W c R 9 Y S V 6 7 R n ) o A 18 6 r N W t ) 3 E a K 6 R E T t E 6 n U C N e D ( A r i R V R P E o N L C E F v A B ( V p V E L E A i d Y A w l ) ( K V C e 3 D E R r R A 4 S E E o 6 T R 6 4 ( N 3) N CR L T R N A S 6 W 5 B C E 0 R ( ) K T E o n t E N W V E A C o n e D F k L ER s E R I B Y w F O S d a F O T R ( h U A C R u e D E 6 M 6 e N A 0 J V ) 7 E H W (C ST R PA 6 UL 58 N S ) J AV R 7 E A (C V R 6 IN 46 R E ) E A S V r Mo ER E e t rrist V (C 6 P o O R 2 wn n L I 1 in R 6 e N e P A 62 a J R V ) 7 DARY O E C S N EC CK WER SECO L S ( ON US 1 TRU NJ 139 LO NJ A P C l s D 139 I R A LOW D E a E C i RY R LA T 65 s W S 6 c 7 A T ) 6 n ONDARY VE (C a NJ 7 SEC R a (C 6 R 5 n 4 6 i i 64 ) 8 2 F c ) 1 RY ) DA 4 N 4 d O l EC K 6 S r 1 R US R M ai o C n L ( ine 6 N W i E 1 2 US J V 1 v o 1 A t 3 D 43 9 t e N U e A l N P e E L a W r r BR A P K 12 O R 6 t A K E A n D A i W V R O ST S A K Y E (C EWAR (C R N m h R 6 t r 642 44) ) e 4 T 1 H ob l ok l 43 en T n e a Y N rm e R ina J 1 l k h A 43 2 NDARY 1 3 o e SECO D 43 3 t b US 1 i 67 N ) 80 9 7 1 o 6 h O L ) 19 1 4 O 5 3 US C 6 H O H 67 E B W 3 W O 67 R K 6 S E E 319 C N ( A R n K VE R ( a C C C E t P R ( V A 6 t U VO 44) N N E R A I a A A J T VE V E (C 1 h 1 D R 3 A C 64 n S I 0) 9 S A a U U L T P I S P M N E E A R o W t M S 1 E n 1 C e 8 O r L k - 2 N e W D w i M A 1 a P R U RY h S Y NDA n 1 1 O e T Y SEC R R a U PE e CK R 39 UP t S A NJ 1 t EC W ON D a D N A 4 h R S 8 Y O - C n 1 W E a S M PATH System (EB) MW-L NJ 1 M K 4 39 UPP 8 ER C ) S 5 IP A o U V t 2 E (CR R 6 62 T 5) R n 1 C e S ( k U E 1 V w A US N a 1 E h T G R e U R CK E e B t 1 e W D R e 1 U r N E t CA B N ) S 1 A 0 V 9TH 4 E ST (CR 3 9 63 7 ( 4) C 3 C R .