Construction on Hudson-Bergen Light Rail To Begin

Construction for the proposed $1.2 billion Hudson-Bergen waterfront light rail line could begin in mid-1996, NJ Transit announced last week. The first section of the line, from East 34th Street in Bayonne to the Hoboken Terminal, could be completed by 1999, with the entire line from

southern Bayonne to Ridgefield Park operating by 2010. The line could carry up to 100,000 riders per day to jobs along the Hudson waterfront, PATH train and ferry stations and highway park-and-ride lots. NJ DOT Commissioner Wilson said his department was investigating ways to speed up

construction on the line by limiting the use of federal funds and developing special contracting arrangements with builders. Wilson said that Maryland officials had cut years off the construction schedule for light rail projects in Baltimore by building it with state funds, thereby avoiding the

bureaucratic delays associated with federal funding. Star Ledger