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This past Friday, the Federal Transit Administration released a supplementary draft environmental impact statement on the project to extend the light rail line to the hospital.
"While there have been some naysayers who said that light rail is never coming, these latest developments speak to the power of perseverance and collaboration," said Englewood Mayor Frank Huttle.
"This is fantastic news for both the City of Englewood and the entire region."
After the FTA report is published in the Federal Register, there will be a 60-day public hearing process. In addition to attending hearings, people can submit written comments.
Two hearings are scheduled so far, at 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Monday, April 24, at the Englewood Crowne Plaza, 401 S. Van Brunt St., in Englewood.
The hearing will have an open house aspect, Huttle described: "NJTransit will have numerous display boards on the various topics of interest (station/park-ride locations, traffic impacts, ridership, etc.) staffed by NJ Transit and consultant staff to answer questions on an informal basis."
There will also be PowerPoint presentations at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Spanish and Korean interpreters will also be available. While public comments will be recorded as part of the process, transit officials won't respond to comments at the hearing.
You can view additional information about the project from NJ Transit here, including the draft environmental impact statement and instructions for submitting comments.
Huttle added,
The current budget crisis we are dealing with is a reminder of why projects like this are so critical to our long-term economic well-being. At the end of the day, this project will help people get to and from work, facilitate the flow of commerce through our region and ease congestion in the most densely populated county in our state.
Huttle also said that he also plans to hold a town meeting to discuss the issue.
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