Skip to main content

NJ TRANSIT NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT ANNOUNCES HEARINGS ON ACCESS TO THE REGION'S CORE STUDY

Public invited to comment on Draft Environmental Impact Statement

March 5, 2007
NJT-07-018
Contact: Penny Bassett Hackett or Dan Stessel 973 491-7078

NEWARK, NJ ¿ NJ TRANSIT will conduct the first of several public hearing and information sessions Tuesday, March 13, to give the public an opportunity to learn about the findings of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Access to the Region¿s Core (ARC) study¿which features a new trans-Hudson tunnel as its centerpiece¿as well as ask questions and offer comments.

Information regarding the ARC DEIS, and accompanying documents, is available on the project website: www.accesstotheregionscore.com.

The hearings will be conducted in an open house format and will include informational displays and presentations. Members of the public may register in advance to speak at the hearings by calling (877) ARC-0999.

To ensure an inclusive public comment process, NJ TRANSIT has scheduled three public hearings¿each with a daytime and evening session¿as well as two information sessions at locations in New Jersey and New York from March 13 through March 27.

Public hearing schedule

Public hearings will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. as follows:

  • Tuesday, March 13 - North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, One Newark Center (17th Floor), Raymond Boulevard, Newark, NJ
  • Wednesday, March 14 - Schuetzen Park (Main Ballroom), 3167 Kennedy Boulevard, North Bergen, NJ
  • Tuesday, March 27 - Fashion Institute of Technology (Great Hall), 27th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, Manhattan, NY

Additional information sessions

In addition to the scheduled public hearings, NJ TRANSIT will hold two ¿informational sessions¿ in Rockland and Orange counties, New York, to receive comment from members of the public who are unable to attend one of the three public hearings. As a practical matter, public hearings and information sessions will be conducted in a similar manner, except that only private testimony will be accepted at the information sessions.

NJ TRANSIT informational sessions will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. as follows:

  • Tuesday, March 20 - Palisades Center Mall (4th Floor Community Room), 1000 Palisades Center Drive, West Nyack, NY
  • Thursday, March 22 - Orange County Government Center (Legislative Chambers), 255 Main Street, Goshen, NY

Members of the public also may submit comments concerning ARC DEIS findings through April 10, 2007 via email to [email protected] or via standard mail delivery to: Tom Schulze, NJ TRANSIT ARC Project Director, One Penn Plaza East, 4th Floor, Newark, NJ 07105.

About Access to the Region¿s Core

The Access to the Region¿s Core (ARC) program includes two new single-track railroad tunnels between New Jersey and New York, additional station capacity under 34th Street in Manhattan, and signal and track improvements along and adjacent to the Northeast Corridor.

The project will allow for the introduction of ¿one-seat¿ rail service to New York on the Main, Bergen County, Pascack Valley and Raritan Valley lines, the Montclair-Boonton Line west of Montclair, North Jersey Coast Line south to Bay Head, as well as the Morristown Line west of Dover. It will also create the capacity for future rail extensions.

The project includes expanded station capacity north of New York Penn Station under 34th Street, with underground connections to several New York City subway lines (A, B, C, D, E, F, N, Q, R, V, W, 1, 2, 3) and PATH trains.

About the DEIS

The Access to the Region¿s Core Draft Environmental Impact Statement builds on findings of a Major Investment Study (MIS) conducted by NJ TRANSIT, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Completed in April 2003, the MIS identified and evaluated alternatives to provide additional trans-Hudson passenger access.

The findings of the MIS serve as the foundation for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 that ensures a full and open evaluation of environmental issues and alternatives for major transportation projects applying for federal funding. The DEIS compiles an assessment of the proposed project¿s effects on social, economic and environmental conditions.

The ARC DEIS is sponsored by NJ TRANSIT in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing nearly 857,000 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.