NJ TRANSIT’s first phase of the Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement project won the 2023 Project of the Year in the $10M – $60M category from the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Metro New York/New Jersey chapter. The project filled a historic canal adjacent to Hoboken Terminal and will serve as the future site of NJ TRANSIT commuter rail tracks.
The Northwell Health’s Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) Florina Cancer Center also earned runner-up within the same category, spotlighting STV’s role as construction and program managers for transformational transit and healthcare projects.
Enhanced Resiliency at Hoboken Rail Yard
STV provided construction management and inspection services for the first phase of NJ TRANSIT’s rail enhancement program that will extend train service and safeguard the commuter rail terminal and rail yard from storm events. When Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012, the canal overflowed, causing destructive flooding that impacted commuter rail service for months.
STV oversaw the careful excavation and filling of the historic Long Slip Canal to be above Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 100-year flood elevation levels. In the second phase of the project, the site will be home to six elevated commuter rail tracks, three elevated ADA-accessible rail platforms and a three-story crew quarters facility.
One of the most geotechnically unique projects that STV’s team has encountered, the team navigated complex site conditions as the canal sits between the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and NJ TRANSIT commuter rail tracks while two PATH tunnels run underneath.
“While filling a canal may seem like a simple task, this process ensures a stable foundation for future transit infrastructure that will protect the terminal and rail yard from flooding and keep train service running,” said Jim Takacs, PE, CCM, vice president and project manager for the Long Slip Fill project. “We needed to also maintain service throughout construction for the nearly 50,000 commuters that travel through the terminal daily. I’m very proud of the project team and grateful for this recognition from CMAA Metro.”
In addition to CMAA Metro, New Jersey Alliance for Action (NJAA) recently awarded the Long Slip Fill project with its 2024 Distinguished Engineering Award. NJAA also awarded its Distinguished Engineering honor to Newark Liberty International Airport’s new Terminal A, recognizing STV’s role as architect- and engineer-of-record on the design-build team.
As the New York City borough with the highest cancer rates, Staten Island relies on Northwell Health’s SIUH Florina Cancer Center to diagnose and treat approximately 30,000 cancer patients each year. The new facility features two additional floors atop the existing center that houses a new adult patient and pediatric care unit with 27 adult infusion spaces and six pediatric infusion bays, plus office space for the center’s employees. STV provided program management services for the overbuild and renovation, additionally coordinating furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) procurement and medical supply arrivals.
Northwell Health expects to see a 10% increase in appointments at the new facility in 2024. The project is part of Northwell Health’s expansive capital improvement program across the 17-acre hospital campus, of which STV is also the program manager.
