Payne, Menendez, Booker, Sires, PANYNJ Announce $256M in PATH Sandy Relief Grants

Harrison, N.J. – September 9, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), along with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, and U.S. Congressman Albio Sires (NJ-08), today joined Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Executive Director Patrick Foye to announce $255,529,424 in federal grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to repair damage sustained by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system during Superstorm Sandy.

“As we continue on the path to full recovery from Superstorm Sandy, we have a tremendous opportunity to make our transportation infrastructure safer and more resilient,” said Congressman Payne, Jr. “The storm devastated Hudson County’s transit network, underscoring the dire need to modernize our critical infrastructure to mitigate against damage and ensure the safety of residents. This funding will improve the resiliency of the PATH system, and I am grateful for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s continued support.”

“Nearly three years after the storm, these much-needed grants help us with the ongoing recovery to our state’s vital public transit network and ensure the PATH system is more resilient than it was before the storm,” said Senator Menendez. “When Sandy battered New Jersey, it sent an unprecedented storm surge up the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that flooded PATH stations and tunnels – and New Jersey commuters need to be assured the system is getting repaired properly. I vow to continue fighting for the federal funding needed for all commuters, homeowners, businesses and communities in the Garden State.”

“We are a public transit-reliant state and disruptions in our mass transit systems delay commuters, disrupt business, and cripple the region’s economy,” said Senator Booker. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in announcing these much-needed funds that will help repair the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy and ensure we are better prepared for the next storm.”

“Sandy devastated Hudson County, crippled its critical mass transit infrastructure, and left many residents without the means to get around,” said Congressman Sires. “This federal funding will help ensure our PATH system is fully repaired and protected from future storms.”

USDOT has awarded the following grants through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program:

• $199,264,500

For the full replacement of Substations 7, 8, 9 and 14, which provide operational electricity to the PATH system; under-platform fans at PATH’s Hoboken station; and additional funding to replace three Sandy-damaged in-ground lifts at the Harrison Car Maintenance Facility (HCMF) used to maintain and repair the PATH rail cars

• $24,587,549

For additional Locally Prioritized Resilience (LPR) projects to improve resiliency at various facilities and for systems for the following projects: Hackensack River Bridge Permanent Emergency Fuel Tank; resiliency projects at Hoboken Station; Emergency Diesel Generators at the HCMF and PATH’s C-Yard; and Cast-In-Place Walls around various Substations and Bungalows.

• $31,677,375

For the construction of an Automatic Flood Barrier at the HCMF and a Concrete Seawall, east of the HCMF

“The Port Authority has worked tirelessly in the nearly three years since Superstorm Sandy devastated our region to repair the PATH rail system’s compromised infrastructure and reduce the potential for future storm damage,’’ said Port Authority Chairman John Degnan. “We could not have done this without the continuing leadership and efforts of our Governors and the region’s congressional delegation to help secure the necessary federal funding to cover the majority costs of these critical projects.”

In 2013, the President signed the Superstorm Sandy Supplemental Appropriations bill into law, bringing the total Sandy aid enacted by Congress to $60.2 billion. The funding package included federal aid to help homeowners, businesses, and communities recover, and resources to rebuild coastal, transportation, and water infrastructure.