Project Highlight: Environmental Program Management , NJ TRANSIT Superstorm Sandy Recovery and Resiliency

BEM Systems, Inc. (BEM) is pleased to announce the award of an additional $11,500,000 for its role as environmental program manager to New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ TRANSIT), in support of post-Superstorm Sandy (Sandy) recovery and resiliency plans. The majority of this funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA’s) Emergency Relief Fund through a competitive grant process. BEM played a critical role assisting NJ TRANSIT with the preparation of six project grant applications, of which NJ TRANSIT was awarded five—worth a total of $1.276 billion, with NJ TRANSIT providing an additional 25% in matching funds.

Under this expanded role, BEM will provide a wide variety of environmental services to support the planning, design, and construction of five large-scale resiliency projects, including: the preparation of all NEPA documents and supporting studies; the preparation and securement of environmental permits; compliance with Section 106 & Section 4(f) requirements; and, site remediation and property acquisition support. These services fall within BEM’s capacity as environmental program manager for NJ TRANSIT’s Superstorm Sandy Repair and Resiliency Program, a role that BEM has fulfilled since November 2012.

One of these five projects includes the Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement (Long Slip) project, which involves filling in approximately 4.3 acres of the Long Slip Canal to an elevation above the Federal Emergency Management Agency base flood elevation, and construction of an ADA-compliant resilient train station on the fill in Long Slip Canal within the Hoboken Terminal and Yard complex. The new station will enable limited train service to operate when flooding would interrupt commuter rail service into and out of the Terminal. Supporting Long Slip is another of the five projects, NJ TRANSITGRID, which is a first-of-a-kind microgrid designed to provide highly reliable power to support a core segment of NJ TRANSIT’s and Amtrak’s critical transportation services in northeastern New Jersey and New York. The project includes an approximate 104 megawatt natural gas-fired power generation facility, and distributed generation solutions, including renewable energy to enable a limited amount of service to run during widespread outages of the commercial power grid.

Under this new tranche of funding BEM is implementing the deployment of NJ TRANSIT’s Coastal Storm Surge Emergency Warning System (CSSEWS) at its Hoboken Yard and Terminal and a critical maintenance complex in Kearny, New Jersey—both of which suffered significant damage from coastal flooding during Sandy. The system will allow NJ TRANSIT’s emergency response and operational personnel to receive real-time forecasts—as early as 96 hours in advance of potential flood risk—for critical assets located throughout the facility, so they can take appropriate actions in sufficient time to prevent or limit damage. . The CSSEWS is a key component of NJ TRANSIT’s overall resiliency strategy, which evaluates the risk to TRANSIT’s infrastructure from extreme weather through all phases of the project life cycle from planning through operations. For more information on the CSSEWS project please click on the following link:

BEM’s Director of Infrastructure Programs, Mittul Patel states, “these resiliency projects provide unique challenges that require constant communication and close coordination among multiple federal, state and local government agencies, design teams, and subconsultants to successfully move the projects forward. Fortunately, everyone recognizes the dual importance of building these projects to the highest standards and building them quickly, with the looming potential of another Sandy.”

BEM has a 25 year history of working for NJ TRANSIT and appreciates the continued confidence shown in retaining BEM‘s support—not only in getting the system back to good operating order, but also in preparing a more resilient system in anticipation of the next Sandy-type event.