Pilot Phase
This effort established the Freight Concept Development Program to advance regional and local freight initiatives that have been identified through planning studies conducted by NJTPA subregions, planning partners and NJTPA Central Staff – consistent with federal guidelines and the Project Delivery Process implemented by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT).
NJTPA Freight Concept Development Program Guidelines.
Two pilot projects were completed as part of this initial Program Development and Pilot Study Phase:
- The first Pilot Freight Concept Development Study was the Dover and Rockaway Rail Realignment Project identified in the Morris County Freight Infrastructure and Land Use Analysis Subregional Study. (Study Concept Development Report)
- The second Pilot Study was the Hackettstown Bridge over Drain Weight Restriction Elimination Project identified in the NJTPA Morris/Warren County Rail Corridor Study. (Study Concept Development Report)
Primary tasks performed by the consultant for each pilot study included: data collection, community outreach, development of the purpose and need statement, development of alternatives, selection of preliminary preferred alternative and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) classification.
FY 2021 Phase
Two concept development studies were completed as part of this effort: the Berkshire Valley Road Truck Circulation Project in Roxbury, Morris County; and the Port Reading Secondary South Main Street Grade Crossing Elimination Project in Bound Brook, Somerset County.
The Berkshire Valley Road Truck Circulation Project looked at improving truck circulation along Berkshire Valley Road in Roxbury. Two specific issues were looked at: low overhead clearance (11 feet, 5 inches) where the Morris County owned Chester Branch rail bridge crosses over Berkshire Valley Road, and a poorly configured intersection of North Dell Avenue and Berkshire Valley Road adjacent to where the Chester Branch crosses over Berkshire Valley Road.
Berkshire Valley Road Truck Circulation Project Concept Development Report
The Port Reading Secondary South Main Street Grade Crossing Elimination Project looked at the potential elimination of the Port Reading Secondary grade crossing at South Main Street (Queens Bridge) in Bound Brook. Eliminating this grade crossing would greatly improve local and regional mobility.
FY 2025 Phase
Two Concept Development studies will be prepared as part of this effort: the Southern Middlesex County North-South Truck Corridor Project in Cranbury, Monroe, and South Brunswick, Middlesex County; and the East Hanover Avenue Bridge Catenary Rail Clearance Project in Morris Plains, Morris Township, and Parsippany, Morris County. Additionally, a Preliminary Screening for Plate F vertical rail clearance along the NJ TRANSIT North Jersey Coast Line in Perth Amboy will be developed.
The Southern Middlesex County North-South Truck Corridor Project, a recommendation from the recently completed Southern Middlesex County Freight Movement Study, will look to develop a North-South truck corridor to reduce truck traffic in residential areas by providing a dedicated route parallel to the New Jersey Turnpike and County Route 619.
The East Hanover Avenue Bridge Catenary Rail Clearance Project, a recommendation from the Morris/Warren County Rail Corridor Study, will look to eliminate the vertical clearance constraints on the NJ TRANSIT Morristown Line to accommodate the 17 foot tall Plate F railcars which, based upon NJ TRANSIT criteria require an Absolute Minimum Clearance of 16-inches between the top of the rail car and energized Overhead Catenary Structure (18-feet 4-inches between the top of rail and energized OCS).