Regional Transit Projects Project Sheet | Portal Bridge Replacement (Portal North)
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Appendix B Capital Plan Project Sheets Regional Transit Projects Project Sheet | Portal Bridge Replacement (Portal North) Description The existing Portal Bridge is a ±960-foot long structure which carries the Existing: Portal Bridge Northeast Corridor (NEC) over the Hackensack River between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction. The existing movable, swing span bridge was constructed in 1910, is 110-years old, and has exceeded its originally intended service life. Due to its age and frequency of use, the movable bridge is costly and difficult to maintain and experiences frequent breakdowns. The two-track bridge creates a bottleneck between the four-track territories to the east and west and requires train speed reductions of 30% which contributes to a decrease in rail service reliability. Given its low vertical clearance to the river, frequent bridge openings are required to accommodate marine traffic. Also, mechanical component malfunctions often cause the bridge to be open for extended periods of time, resulting in frequent, lengthy delays of rail service on the NEC. Additionally, the existing bridge does not have enough capacity to accommodate anticipated future demand. If funded, this project would replace the existing bridge with a higher, more reliable, double track fixed bridge on a new alignment to the north of the existing bridge. The increased vertical profile would eliminate interruptions to rail service due to required bridge openings. The new north bridge would also eliminate speed restrictions, thereby improving Proposed: New Bridge rail operation and capacity across the span. A second, two-track southern bridge, Portal South, is contemplated separately as part of the overall Gateway Program, which when complete would substantially increase operational capacity along this critical length of the NEC. *ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS (2020 Dollars): ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS (2020 Dollars): $1.873 Billion Value to Customers • Increases on-time performance (OTP), safety, and service reliability * Total estimated 2020 project cost indicates total cost over span of • Accommodates NEC ridership growth 2009-2019 the project and includes funds already spent. Value to State • Lowers operating expenses to enable more efficient use of public funds • Reduces potential injuries by decreasing on-site maintenance work • Increases return on investment (ROI) from increased ridership PROJECT SHEET PORTAL BRIDGE REPLACEMENT (PORTAL NORTH) O&M Costs/Business Performance Track outages would be reduced, and costly maintenance and manual bridge opening would no longer be needed ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COSTS Service Reliability/On-Time Performance The new bridge would vastly improve reliability and *$1.873B allow for further service improvements *TOTAL ESTIMATED 2020 PROJECT COST INDICATES TOTAL COST OVER SPAN OF STRATEGIC GOALS MET THE PROJECT AND INCLUDES FUNDS ALREADY SPENT Deliver a high-quality experience for all Ensure the reliability our customers, with and continued safety their entire journey in of our transit system mind Ridership/Capacity A double track fixed bridge would accommodate more trains and ridership growth The project would eliminate interruptions to rail service due Network Impact Delays resulting from bridge openings and to bridge openings and speed speed restrictions would be eliminated along a critical portion of the NEC restrictions to improve rail operation and capacity. Project Sheet | Portal Bridge Capacity Enhancement (Portal South) Description The existing Portal Bridge carries the Northeast Corridor over the Future Portal North Bridge Hackensack River between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction. The existing movable, swing span bridge was constructed in 1910 (109-years old) and has exceeded its originally intended service life. Due to its age and frequency of use given, the movable bridge is costly and difficult to maintain. The existing two-track bridge creates a bottleneck between the four-track territories to the east and west, conflicts with marine traffic, and restricts operating speeds by 30% which all contribute to reductions in service reliability. Recurring bridge openings coupled with mechanical component malfunctions cause the bridge to be open for long periods of time, resulting in frequent, lengthy delays on the corridor. The existing double track bridge does not have enough capacity to accommodate current demand on the corridor. While the new two track Portal North bridge will have expanded Proposed: New Portal South Crossing capacity providing higher allowable trains speeds, future demand must Adjacent to Portal North Bridge include an additional two tracks of capacity to keep pace with growth trends. If funded, Portal South Bridge would provide two additional tracks across the Hackensack River, matching the four-track territories to the east and west, substantially increasing operational capacity along this critical length of the Northeast Corridor. Unlike proposed Portal North Bridge, Amtrak Acela service would not need to be supported on the new south crossing. As a result, several structure alternatives could ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS (2020 Dollars): be feasible for a proposed Portal South Bridge, including a movable span along the existing right of way, providing an opportunity for reduced approach work and significant cost savings. This project would be a key component of the Gateway Capacity Enhancement Value to Customers Program. • Increased on-time-performance (OTP), safety, and service reliability *Similar to Raritan River Bridge ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS (2020 Dollars): Value to State • Lowers operating expenses and uses public funds efficiently • Reduces potential injuries associated with increased on-site maintenance work $431 Million • Increases return on investment (ROI) from increased ridership PROJECT SHEET PORTAL BRIDGE CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT (PORTAL SOUTH) O&M Costs/Business Performance Resulting increase in line capacity and redundancy would decrease operating expenses and allow for increased ridership ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COSTS Network Impact The new bridge would improve operations by relieving congestion and increasing capacity along a critically $431M important portion of the NEC STRATEGIC GOALS MET Deliver a high-quality experience for all Ensure the reliability our customers, with and continued safety their entire journey in of our transit system mind Ridership/Capacity Double track bridge would increase line capacity to accommodate more trains and ridership growth Portal South would increase line Service Reliability/On-Time Performance New bridge would be operationally capacity and improve operations redundant to reduce delays and make service more reliable along the NEC. Project Sheet | Penn Station New York – NJ TRANSIT Access Improvements Description Existing Station Corridors New York Penn Station serves as a major rail hub for the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT. As the busiest terminal station for NJ TRANSIT rail operations, Penn Station New York services Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley (limited), Morris and Essex, Gladstone, and Montclair Boonton Lines. During peak periods, NJ TRANSIT typically operates on 12 of the terminal’s 21 tracks, sharing platform space with Amtrak. There are serious vertical access and egress issues between platforms which serve NJ TRANSIT trains and station concourse levels. These issues are exacerbated by limited access points within the station and by current separation between the main East and West End concourses. This project would extend the existing Central Concourse to allow for more vertical access to existing train platforms serving NJ TRANSIT, improve the existing Hilton Corridor so it better connects between vertical access points to platforms, and improve signage and wayfinding to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of passengers and visitors. A new accessible entrance between the extended concourse and the street level would be created. These enhancements target commuter safety and convenience to increase capacity and improve passenger experience. *ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS (2020 Dollars): Value to Customers • Enhances travel experience with new facilities $340 Million • Improves signage and communications to relay station information and rail service status *Estimates are based upon concept for design • Streamlines passenger movement between station and platforms Value to State • Increase safety of passengers by reduction of overcrowding on station platforms • Reduces delays associated with slower passenger egress PROJECT SHEET PENN STATION NEW YORK - NJ TRANSIT ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS Comfort New platform access points, signage, and wayfinding would streamline and enhance customer movements ESTIMATED TOTAL PROJECT COSTS Safety Platform congestion would be reduced by adding new vertical access and egress points, signage, and $340M wayfinding STRATEGIC GOALS MET Deliver a high-quality experience for all Ensure the reliability our customers, with and continued safety their entire journey in of our transit system mind Network Impact Improving access to platforms at NJ TRANSIT’s biggest terminal station would reduce delays Access improvements at Penn State of Good Repair Station New York would enhance Building new infrastructure would reduce regular customer access disruptions and travel experience, increase increase capacity safety, and reduce delays. Project Sheet | Hoboken Terminal and Yard Resilient Redevelopment Program – Phase I Description Hoboken Terminal is one of NJ TRANSIT’s