Revisiting the Secaucus Boondoggle

New Jersey spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the Secaucus Transfer (where NJ Transit train customers can essentially switch between 10 of the 11 lines that operate in New Jersey). Hundreds of millions of dollars more were spent on a new Turnpike exit (15X), also at that location. No expense was spared - and the costs show that utter lack of attention to the bottom line.

The problem? Both are underutilized to such an extent that the state is now considering spending yet more money to get people to use both. The project under consideration, a parking deck for more than 4,000 cars, would require Secaucus to issue a zoning variance to allow the deck to be built, which is not a certainty because Secaucus is concerned about the additional traffic.

The parking deck wasn't considered as part of the original design for the Transfer, though it was to be part of the planned Allied Junction project that would have built office space and a hotel at the Transfer. That project is still up in the air.

NJ Transit is concerned that building the parking deck might increase the traffic on the turnpike and make commuters reconsider where they commute from as the Transfer is the last stop in New Jersey before heading into New York Penn Station.

Did anyone think this through before the Transfer was built? Did anyone question the costs that sprialled out of control? Did anyone listen when the project costs went from $50 million to $600 million and no parking was part of the bargain?

This, in a nutshell tells you all you need to know about the mess that is New Jersey.

Oh, and the official name of the transfer? The Frank R. Lautenberg Secaucus Junction Station. If that name sounds familiar, that's because it's named for current NJ Senator Lautenberg.

I ride NJ Transit as a daily commuter and have seen the problems firsthand. The Transfer was built overbudget, behind schedule, and has never been full utilized because of the lack of parking. The lack of parking was a conscious decision by planners, yet building the turnpike exit was made an integral part of the development of the area despite the lack of parking at the Transfer.

I don't buy the argument that people will simply leave their current commuter train stops to go to the Transfer and pick the train up from there. If there's a reason that people might do that it is for this simple reason - the lack of parking at those other stations have forced people to drive into Manhattan instead of hunting for spots closer to home. Overcrowding on the NJ Transit Northeast corridor doesn't make things any better either. Putting the dual-level cars will not solve the problem - only an additional tunnel into Manhattan can begin to deal with the issue, and that solution is years away.

Building more parking at the local stops in conjunction with some parking at the Transfer is a far more efficient use of money than only putting in additional spots at Secaucus Transfer. Not only will that keep cars off the Turnpike and at home, but will better distribute the ridership across the lines.