Port Authority Funds Bridge

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently approved funding for a new railroad bridge in Secaucus, N.J. The Board authorized up to $30 million for a bridge on New County Road over Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. The bridge will improve access for trucks and cars traveling to and from a new Eastern Spur Exit 16 interchange being built by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The Port Authority's contribution, along with the New Jersey Turnpike's $235 million interchange project and an additional $5 million from Hudson County for property acquisition, makes the total investment in improvements $270 million.

Construction of the new bridge is expected to be complete in 2006.

Legislators Seek $3.5 Billion for Terror Prevention

Members of Congress have introduced a bill seeking $3.5 billion to expand and improve the anti-terrorism capacity of public transportation systems across the country. The Public Transportation Terrorism Prevention and Response Act of 2004, filed as H.R. 5082 in the House of Representatives, does not designate specific amounts to regions yet, but would authorize grants based on assessments of risk and vulnerability, possibly giving the tri-state region a funding edge.

The bill's sponsors cite the terrorist attacks on public transit systems in Moscow and Madrid as justification for investment in transit security measures. The bill also incorporates recommendations recently released by the commission studying the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including having risk-based funding priorities.

The bill would provide security grants over a period of three years to public transit agencies and bus operators, and would aim to not duplicate other transit funding initiatives. The legislation calls for an identification and evaluation phase to assess which transportation assets most need protection. The grants would have a capital project component and an operations component geared toward personnel-driven functions.

Repainting of GWB Reaches Halfway Mark

Construction crews are expected to finish removing the lead-based paint and repainting the New Jersey tower of the George Washington Bridge by the end of 2004. Paint removal and painting started in September 2002 after the scaffolding, containment, and shielding platform were in place. The same operation will be repeated on the New York tower, and will continue through 2006.

The estimated cost for the project, formally called the George Washington Bridge Removal of Lead Based Paint and Repainting New Jersey and New York, is $54 million. The painting contract was awarded to L & L Painting & Co., Inc. of Hicksville, N.Y. The estimated cost for the George Washington Bridge Removal of Lead Based Paint and Repainting Underside of the Upper Level project is $31 million. It was awarded to George Campbell Painting Corp. of Flushing, N.Y.

Calling All Consultants

The Connecticut Department of Transportation is pre-qualifying all consultants which desire to do business with the agency in 2005. Firms should submit specific information to the department on or before November 15, 2004. Log onto http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp to get submission requirements or call the Consultant Selection Office at (860) 594-3017.

It is anticipated that during calendar year 2005 the department may need consultant services for transportation related activities in the following categories:
Airport Management; Airport Planning and Studies; Airport Design; Bridge and Structure Inspection; Bridge and Structure Inspection (Underwater); Bridge and Structure Design; Coatings Inspection; Construction Engineering and Inspection (Road, Bridge, and Aviation); Construction Engineering and Inspection (Facilities); Construction Engineering and Inspection (Rail); Environmental Planning and Studies; Facility Design (Aviation, Highway, Ports, Transit, Rail); Freight/Goods Movement Intermodal Planning Studies; Highway Design; Port Management; Rail Design; Traffic Engineering; Transit Planning and Studies (Rail & Bus); Transportation Planning Studies (Rail, Bus, Roadway, Aviation, Bicycle/Pedestrian, Rideshare and Waterway); and Waste Treatment Design.