NJ TRANSIT TO CONSTRUCT LONG SLIP PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

Project will advance the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway

September 10, 2007
NJT-07-095

NEWARK, NJ ¿ NJ TRANSIT ridership set new all-time highs in Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07), with average weekday ridership reaching 865,000 weekday trips on the agency¿s bus, rail and light rail lines.

The Corporation¿s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

The fourth quarter (April-June) showed an overall ridership increase of four percent above the same period last year. Weekday ridership increased 3.9 percent over last year, averaging 890,000 passenger trips¿the highest quarterly figure in NJ TRANSIT¿s history¿while weekend ridership increased 4.7 percent to 689,000 trips. In all, NJ TRANSIT carried more than 64 million passenger trips during the fourth quarter.

"These ridership figures reaffirm the importance of public transportation for our residents and for the state and regional economies," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "They also underscore the need to continue investing in the system through such projects as Access to the Region¿s Core to meet future transportation demands."

"The growth in ridership shows that residents will opt for public transportation when reliable, safe and convenient service is delivered," said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Kris Kolluri. "NJ TRANSIT improves everyone¿s quality-of-life by reducing congestion on our highways and reducing pollution in the air we breathe."

"These record ridership figures show that we are making progress toward making NJ TRANSIT the preferred choice for transportation," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles. "The numbers also show that we must continue to work hard to ensure our customers¿ experience is a good one."

For FY07 as a whole, NJ TRANSIT posted a record 251 million trips¿4.1 percent higher than the previous year. Average weekday ridership increased 3.7 percent to a fiscal ye

September 10, 2007
NJT-07-094

NEWARK, NJ ¿ Residents of Jersey City, Hoboken and other Hudson County Waterfront communities will benefit from a project approved today by the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors that will complete a critical segment of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.

The Board awarded a $6.4 million contract to Simpson & Brown, Inc., of West Cranford, NJ, for the construction of a pedestrian bridge spanning the east end of the Long Slip Canal adjacent to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station at Hoboken Terminal.

"The Long Slip pedestrian bridge is a critical link in the development of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, offering ready access to the transportation options at Hoboken Terminal," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "Construction of the bridge will provide residents of Waterfront communities with access to employment, education and recreation centers without the need to get into a car."

"I am proud to have worked to garner federal funding to make several stretches of this walkway a reality. This is a key connection between two thriving Waterfront cities¿one that will further extend the reach of public transportation options for local residents," said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. "I look forward to the completion of this crucial segment of the Waterfront Walkway and the benefits it will bring to New Jersey."

"By building the Long Slip bridge, we will integrate the Waterfront Walkway into our multimodal transportation network," said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Kris Kolluri. "With the Walkway offering non-vehicular access to NJ TRANSIT and trans-Hudson services at Hoboken Terminal, walking, biking and other recreational activities can become viable modes of transportation."

The bridge will connect the nearby Newport section of Jersey City with Hobokar record of 865,000 passenger trips. Weekend ridership averaged 672,000 passenger trips, also a record, and was 5.5 percent higher than last fiscal year.

Bus ridership grew 1.5 percent during the fourth quarter and 1.4 percent for FY07, setting a record of 159 million trips for the fiscal year. Average weekday bus ridership topped 548,000 trips in the fourth quarter, the highest ever recorded.

Rail ridership set records for both the fourth quarter and fiscal year, increasing 6.6 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively. Rail trips for the fiscal year posted a new high of 73 million trips, while average weekday ridership during the fourth quarter totaled a record-setting 276,000 trips.

Around the rail system, ridership through the Frank R. Lautenberg Rail Station at Secaucus Junction increased 22 percent for the quarter and 17.1 percent for FY07.

Light rail ridership completed the record-setting sweep, with an increase in the fourth quarter of 16.7 percent over last year and 22.3 percent for the fiscal year. Ridership for FY07 reached 19 million trips, with ridership for the fourth quarter establishing a new record of 66,000 average weekday trips.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing nearly 865,000 weekday trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 60 light rail stations and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.

en Terminal, providing pedestrians with a direct path to light rail, commuter rail, bus, PATH and ferry services.

"The new pedestrian bridge will provide convenient access from other Waterfront communities to all that the City of Hoboken has to offer¿both as a transportation hub and a center for recreation, shopping and nightlife," said Hoboken Mayor David Roberts.

"We look forward to this project bridging the gap for our Newport area residents who will be able to walk to Hoboken, and we equally welcome the visitors from Hoboken and beyond that will have easy pedestrian access to our vibrant community," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

"Thanks to Senator Menendez¿s support, we have funding for a project that is essential to completing the Waterfront Walkway on the south side of Hoboken Terminal," said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles. "Convenient pedestrian access to and from our bus, rail and light rail services will open up new travel opportunities for many residents."

NJ TRANSIT¿s portion of the Waterfront Walkway will link to a new temporary walkway connecting the Long Slip pedestrian bridge to the Newport section of Jersey City. The temporary walkway will be constructed by the Newport Associates Development Company, the developers of Newport, and will be completed in advance of the pedestrian bridge.

Construction of the bridge will begin later this fall, with completion expected in spring 2009.

About the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway

The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway currently extends along nearly 15 miles in Hudson County and encompasses state, county and municipal parks. Once complete, it will provide a contiguous 18.5 mile linear walkway system of parks, piers and open space along the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay waterfront, extending from the George Washington Bridge to the Bayonne Bridge.

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