JERSEY CITY & BEYOND – Residents who are interested in learning more about the proposed Liberty State Park Circulator are invited to an informational meeting on Thursday, May 9 at 4:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at City Hall, 280 Grove St, Jersey City.
Liberty State Park offers beautiful open space, passive recreation opportunities, and gorgeous views of the lower Manhattan skyline. Located on Jersey City’s eastern waterfront, Liberty State Park is the largest park in the city. However, the park remains largely disconnected from mass transit, thus limiting access and availability to many Hudson County residents.
At present, mass transit serves the edges of the park with the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Liberty State Park station on the western edge of the park and commuter ferry service on the northern edge. However, there is no regular transit connection between these two transit stations or within the park’s interior.
The Liberty State Park Circulator Cost-Benefit Analysis study determined a need for mass transit service within Liberty State Park and analyzed a range of options for a mass transit circulator to service the park’s many internal destinations. These destinations include the historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, Interpretive Center, Liberty Landing marina, and access to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The study has identified four transit options and their associated costs and benefits. The final report will include an implementation strategy, including phasing and potential funding sources.
For the first two hours of the public meeting, from 4:30 to 6:30, members of the public will have an opportunity to view displays and talk one-on-one with members of the project team. Then, at 6:30, the project team will make a presentation regarding the preliminary results of the cost-benefit analysis. The public will have an opportunity to ask questions during a question and answer session following the presentation.
A two-week public comment period will follow the public meeting during which written comments can be submitted by e-mail to lsptransitstudy@gmail.com. Comments can also be mailed to the Jersey City Division of City Planning, 30 Montgomery St., Suite 1400, Jersey City, NJ 07302. Please send to the attention of Naomi Hsu.
During the public comment period, materials from the second public meeting will be available for download from the study website (www.lsptransitstudy.com), or can be viewed by the public at the Division of City Planning offices, 30 Montgomery St., Suite 1400.
The study is being funded with a $175,000 grant from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. Jersey City has hired Sam Schwartz Engineering to prepare the study. The final report is anticipated in June.