CMAA Metro Awards Project of the Year to First Phase of Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement Project
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Courtesy of STV
NEWARK, N.J. – NJ TRANSIT’s first phase of the Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement project won 2023 Project of the Year within the $10M - $60M category. The award comes from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Metro New York/New Jersey chapter.
The Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement project filled a canal next to Hoboken Terminal and serves “as the future site of NJ TRANSIT commuter rail tracks,” according to a release from STV.
For the first phase of the project, STV provided construction management and inspection services. The first phase seeks to extend service and safeguard the rail terminal and yard from severe weather. In 2012, the canal overflowed when the area was hit by Superstorm Sandy and subsequently caused flooding that impacted service. STV oversaw the excavation and filling of the Long Slip Canal to bring it above FEMA 100-year flood elevation levels.
STV’s team found the site to be geotechnically unique in that it had to navigate “complex site conditions” due to the location of the canal. It sits between the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and NJ TRANSIT commuter rail tracks with two PATH tunnels running underneath.
Jim Takacs, PE, CCM, vice president and project manager of the Long Slip Fill project said, “While filling a canal may seem like a simple task, this process ensures a stable foundation for future transit infrastructure that will protect the terminal and rail yard from flooding and keep train service running. . . We needed to also maintain service throughout construction for the nearly 50,000 commuters that travel through the terminal daily. I’m very proud of the project team and grateful for this recognition from CMAA Metro.”
The Long Slip Fill project has also been awarded with the 2024 Distinguished Engineering Award from the New Jersey Alliance for Action (NJAA).
