NJ Transit Board awards contracts for Brick Church station modernization, Brielle Drawbridge replacement

The New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) Board of Directors have approved contracts for the modernization of NJ Transit’s historic Brick Church station and for the replacement of the Brielle Drawbridge. 

Brick Chruch station 

The transformation of the Brick Church station will include new infrastructure that preserves its historic features by awarding a contract for improvements to the station building.  The renovation of the station comes in advance of NJ Transit receiving $83.3 million in federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) All Stations Accessibility Program to improve accessibility for the station. 

“This project underscores our commitment to preserving the historical essence of our Brick Church Station while equipping it with modern amenities to better serve our community,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “These improvements – combined with significant accessibility enhancements coming soon through the FTA’s generous All Stations Accessibility Program grant – will improve the daily commutes of countless residents, enhancing their quality of life and boosting the local economy in East Orange and beyond.” 

The $3.1 million contract was awarded to John O’Hara Company Inc. of East Orange, N.J., and includes the restoration of the Brick Church station’s building’s interior walls, doors and ceilings, installation of an historic plaque, electrical work, restroom alterations for ADA compliance, heating equipment, painting, telecommunications and security upgrades. Other improvements include restoring the historic benches and terrazzo floor, as well as the historic windows and providing an art installation. 

NJ Transit notes rail service through East Orange first began in 1836 as the Morris and Essex Railroad. Matthias Ogden Halsted, a local lawyer who used the railroad to commute, provided a station for commuters. A new depot was built in 1880 and was used until the current station opened on Dec. 18, 1921 after the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad elevated the tracks. The station is named for the nearby Temple of Unified Christians Brick Church, which was designed with brick architecture. The brick headhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. 

Brielle Drawbridge replacement 

The Brielle Drawbridge Replacement Project will replace the existing single-track movable bridge that is more than a century old, with a new two-track movable bridge to improve flood resiliency and maritime operations while restoring two-track capacity to the critical rail infrastructure connecting the towns of Brielle and Point Pleasant Beach on NJ Transit’s North Jersey Coast Line.  

“When we talk about the aging infrastructure we inherited across our rail network, the Brielle Drawbridge, a critical link along our North Jersey Coast Line, is near the top of that list at 113 years old,” Corbett said. “This replacement project will add capacity and resiliency for generations of rail customers to come.” 

The NJ Transit Board approved the contract awarded to Hardesty & Hanover, LLC of New York, N.Y., – to provide conceptual and preliminary design and engineering services as part of Phase I of the project, at a cost not to exceed $7.8 million, plus five percent for contingencies, subject to the availability of funds. 

Built in 1911, NJ Transit notes the existing Brielle Drawbridge is currently operational but is beyond its original service life. The bridge is 1,162 feet long from abutment to abutment and it currently carries a single non‐electrified track and a maintenance walkway. The single-track movable span configuration, sits in between sections of the railroad that are two tracks, causing a bottle neck, in addition to the 20-mph speed restriction over the bridge. 

Phase I is projected to be completed by Q1 2027. The entire construction project is projected to be completed by Q3 2031.