For NJ Transit Camden Hub, a $250MM Overhaul

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced the $250 million expansion of the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden. (Gov. Murphy, Twitter)

New Jersey Transit’s (NJ Transit) Walter Rand Transportation Center (WRTC) in Camden County will be redesigned and replaced.

Built in its place will be a $250 million expanded multi-purpose transit center. Serving WRTC are NJ Transit’s Camden-Trenton River Line light rail and buses as well as independent bus services and the PATCO (Port Authority Transit Corporation) Speedline, which operates between Philadelphia, Pa., and Camden County.

A RFP to conduct Conceptual Design, Preliminary Engineering, Final Design Engineering, and Construction Assistance will be released in the coming weeks, the transit agency reported. The initial design phase is slated to take about nine months, once under way.

According to NJ Transit, the new WRTC will “provide accommodations for future transit developments and the potential for new retail, office, housing and hospitality opportunities utilizing transit-oriented development (TOD) design standards.”

The transit agency recently completed nearly $2.8 million in repairs to the five-story parking deck attached to WRTC. The improvements included new electrical, lighting, and concrete patching needed to help facilitate future construction at WRTC.

“The Walter Rand Transportation Center is a vital transit hub and economic engine for all of South Jersey,” NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin Corbett said. “The investments committed today [Feb. 17] by Governor [Phil] Murphy will improve safety, support transit-oriented development in Camden, better accommodate growth throughout Camden County, and provide improved connectivity to Camden’s medical, educational, and industrial development areas. These investments will also give us an opportunity to integrate the Center with battery electric buses, building on our aggressive efforts to transition toward a zero-emissions bus fleet.”