Comment EI-17420
Received or sent (printed as 4/9/2009)
As a former resident of Jersey City, and a citizen of New Jersey interested in preserving both our historic landmarks and our valuable transportation ROW, please accept the following brief comment on the proposed abandonment and demolition of the Harsimus Branch. 1. The 6th Street Viaduct is a historically significant structure that should receive the STB's scrutiny. Jersey City rose to prominence as a major railroad hub for the region and staggeringly few landmarks remain to show its important past. 2. New Jersey lacks the public transportation infrastructure needed to adequately serve its residents. Current projects like THE Tunnel are moving the region in the right direction, but at an extreme expense, especially when it comes to ROW acquisition in one of the nation’s most expensive real estate markets. What little ROW that is left intact from rail’s more active era should be permitted to remain intact for future expansion and use for freight and passenger service. The Harsimus Branch is a prime example of this, especially considering that it connects one of the most thriving downtown districts to a major passenger rail junction in Secaucus New Jersey. I thank the STB for its consideration.
Submitted by: Ryan P. Kennedy, Esq. · Princeton, NJ
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/AB-167/sub/1189X/comment/EI-17420 · back to the docket sheet