Kaplan Kirsch is advising NJ Transit on the Portal North Bridge Project. The project replaces a nearly century-old railroad swing bridge over the Hackensack River between Secaucus and Kearny, New Jersey. A new, high-level, two-track, fixed-span structure will take its place. The project includes 2.44 miles of new railroad infrastructure. It also creates a new railroad alignment on a portion of the Northeast Corridor that Amtrak owns.
The new bridge will increase rail transit capacity, reliability, and service dependability. It will also improve operational flexibility, enhance passenger safety, and minimize conflicts with maritime traffic.
We advise NJ Transit on regulatory and grant compliance matters. We also advised on the financial plan for a Core Capacity Grant application to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The plan’s scope included funding issues involving the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the FTA, Amtrak, and state bonds. We advise on the allocation of railroad operating and maintenance obligations between NJ Transit and Amtrak. Our work also covers construction and force account matters, hazardous waste management, right-of-way acquisition, and property disposition. Additional work includes insurance and risk allocation, as well as interagency and program implementation matters.