NORTH BERGEN, N.J. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, Congressman Albio Sires (N.J.-08) and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) today announced $18,260,000 in federal funding from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program to replace the structurally deficient Route 3 bridge in North Bergen, near New Jersey Transit’s park and ride. The multi-modal project will improve mobility, accessibility, and safety for New Jersey drivers, transit riders, and pedestrians.

“New Jersey’s roads and bridges are among the nation’s most heavily traveled. They take a beating and are in great need of repair. Replacing the deteriorating Route 3 span in Hudson County will improve safety for travelers—motorists, transit riders and pedestrians alike,” said Sen. Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate’s mass transit subcommittee. “The TIGER program has been successful in advancing infrastructure projects across our state and country. This type of federal investment pays for itself by ensuring our infrastructure is safer and more reliable, strengthening our economy and creating good-paying jobs. To build a 21st century transportation network that is the envy of the world and keeps our nation economically competitive, we need greater federal investments like this, not less.”

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“For far too long, New Jerseyans have been suffering the consequences of the government's failure to invest in our crumbling infrastructure,” said Sen. Booker. "Federal investments like this in modernizing our roads and bridges through proven programs like TIGER are not only critical to maintaining the safety of the traveling public, but also to creating jobs and increasing New Jersey’s economic competitiveness. In the face of the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to federal infrastructure funding, now more than ever it’s vital we remain focused on continuing to provide robust funding to programs like TIGER that are critical to rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure.”

“Route 3 is a vital artery connecting Hudson County to the rest of the state that serves tens of thousands of commuters heading each day to New York City. If this bridge goes, it will cripple the entire area,” said Rep. Sires. “This project will help ensure our residents have a safe and reliable trip to work, to shop, or to see friends and family. Investing in our aging infrastructure keeps our state moving and our economy growing.”

The new bridge will be built over two rail lines and the nearby Ramp A, adjacent to the North Bergen Park and Ride. The new bridge will have two travel lanes, a left and right shoulder, and a sidewalk on the north side that will extend to the park and ride facility.

“Rehabilitating our state’s infrastructure provides critical benefits for our motorists in and around the region,” NJDOT Acting Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “This much needed federal funding will not only improve access to the New Jersey Transit Park and Ride—a vital transit hub to New York—but enhances safety and efficiency for motorists, rail commuters, freight travel, and more.”

President Trump’s budget cuts $3.7 billion or 19% from U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) discretionary programs over the enacted FY17 levels. It would completely eliminate the TIGER) program, which has invested $138,168,056 in vital, shovel-ready transportation projects benefiting New Jerseyans since the program was created in 2009.

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Besides the Route 3 bridge, TIGER grants have also funded the following transportation projects benefiting New Jersey:

Repair, reconstruct and improve 16.3 miles of pedestrian and bicycle facilities linking Camden and Philadelphia that will complete a 128-mile regional network in six counties around Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. (Camden/Philadelphia, 2009)

Improve traffic flow and transit times in one of the most heavily used corridors in the nation through the use of innovative technology, using real-time image-based vehicle detection, broadband wireless communications, and an adaptive control system. (N.J. Meadowlands Commission, 2010)

Repair DelAir Bridge, linking the rail networks of Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the Port of Salem, including the ports of Paulsboro and Camden, to accommodate the transport of industry-standard 286,000 lb. rail cars and enhance freight movement throughout the northeast region. (South Jersey Port Corporation, 2011)

Build new South Hudson Intermodal Facility in Bayonne and expand the capacity of the largest port on the East Coast to accommodate larger shipping vessels following the expansion of the Panama Canal. (Global Container Terminal, 2012)

  • $10,000,000 – SEPTA-CSX Separation Project

Separate passenger and freight trains on the Southeasten Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) West Trenton Regional Rail Line to increase rail capacity, provide congestion relief on a rapidly growing corridor and faster and more reliable service, and encourage greater transit use. (SEPTA, 2013)

Improve traffic flows in and out of the port gates and improve the driver experience when using the port by combining modern facilities with technology innovations, and significantly update the storage capacity of the Port Newark Terminal for containerized goods, creating more than 300 permanent jobs. (Essex County, 2014)

Expedite pre-construction activities, which broke ground in October and need to be completed prior to the full replacement of the century-old Portal Bridge that spans the Hackensack River and is a lynchpin on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC). Portal Bridge replacement is a critical component of the Gateway Project to build new trans-Hudson River rail tunnels and improve operations between Newark and New York Penn Stations. (N.J. Transit, 2015)

Reconstruct a network of streets covering approximately two miles north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, integrating complete and green street concepts, and provide multi-modal transportation access and circulation improvements that directly address Camden’s infrastructure needs and support existing and future economic development to facilitate ongoing community revitalization efforts. (City of Camden, 2016)

Sen. Menendez, Rep. Sires, and Commissioner Gutierrez-Scaccetti were joined by North Bergen Mayor and State Senator Nicholas Sacco, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, and Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Vainieri, Jr. at a news conference overlooking the Route 3 span to announce the federal grant award.

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