Rendering of Rocky Mountain Rail Park.

Intermodal Briefs: Rocky Mountain Rail Park, Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, PANYNJ

Rocky Mountain Industrials, Inc. (RMI) engages JHL Constructors, Inc. (JHL) to begin construction of Rocky Mountain Rail Park’s northern parcel. Also, container dwell fee at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is put on hold through Oct. 21; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) reports facility volumes for August 2022.

(Photograph Courtesy of PANY/NJ, via Twitter)

Port of NY, NJ to Charge ‘Container Imbalance Fee’

The Port of New York and New Jersey will implement a new quarterly “container imbalance fee” for ocean carriers to reduce congestion as the peak cargo season approaches.

PANYNJ, Others Seek LGA Connection

In the October 2021 issue of Railway Age, we reported on Kathy Hochul, New York’s new governor, and some new directions that she might take concerning transit in the Empire State, especially in and near New York City. This is the territory of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), but the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) is a big player there, too. Hochul took office last August on two weeks’ notice, when Andrew Cuomo was forced out, due to a number of scandals. Cuomo had taken a hands-on approach to managing transit, but Hochul has not always supported her predecessor’s pet projects. The proposed LaGuardia AirTrain is a case in point.

For Hudson Tunnel Project, Updated Financial Plan

A new financial plan has been submitted to the Federal Transit Administration to support the Hudson Tunnel Project’s inclusion in the CIG (Capital Investments Grant) Program; the project is one segment of the Gateway Program on the Northeast Corridor.

DeGraffe named PATH GM

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has promoted PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) Deputy Director Clarelle DeGraffe to General Manager and Director of Rail Transit, effective March 25. The first woman in the position in PATH’s 111-year history, she succeeds Mike Marino, who announced his retirement late last year.

FTA stymies Gateway tunnels with “medium-low” rating

The $13 billion Hudson River tunnel project, aimed at building two new rail tunnels between New York and New Jersey, is again facing funding problems after federal authorities announced a rating that means the project remains “ineligible for critical grant funding.”

STV JV continues Cross Harbor study

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) has contracted with Cross Harbor Partners, an STV/AKRF Inc. joint venture, to prepare a Tier II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) study for the Cross Harbor Freight Program, described as “a transformative goods movement product that strives to induce a modal shift away from trucks to reduce vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) and the attendant wear and tear on our region’s roadways and bridges.”

Gateway: Ball is in Trump’s (and Chao’s) court—and they haven’t picked it up

Outgoing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Dec. 14 said that have agreed that their states and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have agreed to contribute $5.55 billion toward the Gateway Program—50% of the massive project’s cost, and placing responsibility with President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Transportation to contribute the remaining half.