Kaplan Kirsch is advising NJ Transit on the Portal North Bridge Project which involves construction of 2.44 miles of new railroad infrastructure and the replacement of a nearly century-old railroad swing bridge spanning the Hackensack River between Secaucus and Kearny, New Jersey creating a new railroad alignment on a portion of the Northeast Corridor owned by Amtrak. The proposed new, high-level, two-track, fixed span will lead to increased rail transit capacity and reliability, improved service dependability, and operational flexibility as well as enhanced passenger and minimized conflicts with maritime traffic. The firm’s involvement includes advising on the financial plan for a Core Capacity Grant application to the FTA, regulatory and grant compliance, issues related to funding from FRA, FTA, Amtrak, and state bonds, allocation of railroad operating and maintenance obligations between NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak, construction and force account, hazardous waste management, right of way acquisition and property disposition, insurance and risk allocation, as well as interagency and program implementation issues.
