Senators Menendez, Lautenberg Applaud $3.7 Billion in Second Round of FTA Sandy Relief for Public Transit Needs

Press Release

U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Frank R. Lautenberg today applauded the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s allocation of an additional $3.7 billion for public transit Superstorm Sandy relief. These allocations, which will be made to the four transit agencies most affected by Superstorm Sandy, include $216,998,685 for NJ Transit, and $871,295,655 for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

"I am grateful for the allocation of this critical funding that comes in response to the worst transit disaster in our nation's history," said Senator Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee's Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, which oversees public transit. "As I said on the Senate floor during the fight for federal Sandy relief, it's not enough to rebuild. We need to rebuild better and stronger than before the storm. That is especially true of our transit systems. This round of funding allows us to begin the work of rebuilding our transit systems to be better able to withstand future severe weather events. I want to thank those at the FTA and FEMA for their continued work on our recovery from Sandy. I look forward to our continued collaboration, and I remain committed to fighting for resources like these to help prepare New Jersey for whatever Mother Nature may bring in the future.

"When Superstorm Sandy devastated New Jersey's transportation infrastructure, we saw firsthand how critical these systems are to our economy. This federal Sandy aid will help repair and rebuild NJ Transit and Port Authority infrastructure stronger than before," said Senator Lautenberg, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and co-author of the Sandy relief bill. "This funding is crucial to New Jersey's rebuilding process, and we'll keep fighting to make sure the State has the federal investment needed to continue to move the region forward."

From the $216,998,685 to NJ Transit, $110,799,640 will be used for recovery and restoration, which involves make all necessary repairs to the system. The remaining $106,199,045 will be used for resiliency measures including:

-Preliminary engineering, planning, and environmental review for larger resiliency projects such as protecting Hoboken's transit hub or building a new rail yard on higher ground.

-Replacing wooden support structures for catenary wires with steel support structures

-Relocation of critical infrastructure such as electrical substations above projected flood levels;

From the $871,295,655 to the Port Authority $583,904,018 will be used for recovery and restoration, while $287,391,637 will be used for resiliency measures including:

-Relocation of critical infrastructure such as electrical substations above projected flood levels;

-waterproofing sensitive equipment and facilities;

-installing water pumps;

-Creating better waterproofing for entrances and ventilation systems

The funding announced today comes in addition to $1.4 billion the FTA allocated on March 29, which included $231,191,117 to NJ Transit and $489,120,634 to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to cover the agencies' costs associated with their initial response to the storm.

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