The Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a $766.5 million Capital Investment Grant (CIG) agreement with New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) for the Portal North Bridge Project. Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell is proud to have advised NJ Transit on obtaining funding from the FTA, the Federal Railroad Administration, and Amtrak.

The firm’s involvement includes advising on the financial plan for the Core Capacity Grant application to the FTA, assuring project compliance with regulatory and grant requirements, and recommending strategies to manage multiple funding sources including FRA, FTA, Amtrak, and state bonds..

The Portal North Bridge will improve the reliability of commuter rail service between New Jersey and New York. The project will replace the 110-year-old, two-track, swing-style Portal Bridge that spans the Hackensack River in Kearny and carries about 450 Amtrak and NJ Transit trains per day on Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor. The structure often becomes stuck in the open position, delaying trains running in and out of Manhattan.

FTA’s CIG program 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.