Morris gets go-ahead for $6M rail project funded by stimulus
ROXBURY NJ -- Morris County received Federal Highway Administration approval today to rehabilitate a 5.8 mile stretch of the Chester Branch rail line from Wharton to Randolph and will get almost $6 million in federal stimulus funds for the job.
The rail project is one of six transportation projects for which the county received $8.92 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including signal and intersection improvements and paving. The rail project is estimated to cost $5.8 million. The county can now seek bids for the project.
Roxbury and Morris County signed a agreement in July to allow the rehabiliation project. The Chester Branch passes near the township's Horseshoe Lake recreation area.
"The rehabilitation of the Chester Branch meets the intent of the federal stimulus
legislation by creating employment opportunities not only during rehabilitation but by the future economic opportunities it will create in Morris County,'" said Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl. "This project has regional, long-term benefits, and I am thrilled that it has reached this critical milestone.''
The Chester Branch now serves Roxbury commercial users, but has the potential to also serve customers in Randolph, in particular the former Westinghouse site, now the BETA Corporate Park, Feyl said.
"The corporate park has a rail siding serving the property, and even though there are no current railroad customers, this could change once the rehabilitation work is completed and tenants see a reliable rail service option,'' Feyl said.
The freight line was donated to the county by Chester Branch, LLC, in October, and the Morristown & Erie Railway has a management agreement with the county to continue to operate on the Chester Branch. The M&E also operates the two other county-owned rail lines: the High Bridge Branch and the Dover & Rockaway Railroad.
Efficient use of this rail line has the potential to reduce truck traffic along major roads including Route 10, Sussex Turnpike, Route 46, Route 80 and other arterial roads throughout Morris County, Feyl said. He noted one rail car is approximately equivalent to four tractor trailers.
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