Bergen Tunnels

The Bergen Tunnels are a pair of railroad tunnels with open cuts running parallel to each other under Bergen Hill in Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. Originally built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), they are used by New Jersey Transit Rail Operations (NJT) trains originating or terminating at Hoboken Terminal.[1]

Bergen Tunnels
Western portal (2001)
Overview
Location
Further information
Coordinates
SystemNew Jersey Transit
Operation
Constructed
  • 1877
  • 1910
OwnerNJ Transit
TrafficRailroad
CharacterPassenger
Technical
Design engineerJames Archbald
Samuel Rockwell
Length4,200 feet (1,300 m) approx.
No. of tracks2 per tube
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
ElectrifiedOverhead line
Bergen Tunnels
Bergen Tunnels
Bergen Tunnels

Construction
The western portals of four railroad tunnels and cuts through Bergen Hill in Jersey City in 1978. From left: the Bergen Tunnels, the Long Dock Tunnel, and the Bergen Arches.

Prior to construction, the Morris and Essex Railroad, a predecessor of the DL&W, used the Long Dock Tunnel, owned by the Erie Railroad, to pass under the Hudson Palisades. After issues of congestion and competition arose, the DL&W decided to build its own tunnel for what is commonly known as its Morristown Line.[2][3] Construction of the North Bergen Tunnel began in 1873; it came into service in 1877.[4] The South Bergen Tunnel opened in 1910,[5] soon after a new Hoboken Terminal was inaugurated. Both tunnels are approximately 4,200 ft (1,300 m) long,[6][7] and have two short segments of open cut as well as ventilation shafts.[8]

Rehabilitation
The tunnel portals from within Open Cut No. 1, facing east, before renovation in 2001

In 2001, New Jersey Transit contracted JV Merco-Obayashi for the rehabilitation of the partially brick-lined North Bergen Tunnel.[9] This included the stabilization of the two open cuts. The five ventilation shafts were stabilized and backfilled. Brick was removed so that the tunnel could be enlarged using drill-and-blast methods, following which it was relined with shotcrete. A drained membrane waterproofing system was installed before a final lining of concrete was cast-in-place.[8] In addition to waterproofing ceilings and walls, new electrical, signal and ventilation systems were installed as were new emergency exits. New tracks were affixed directly to a new concrete floor.[10]

Historic status

The tunnels are part of New Jersey's state historic preservation office historic district, designated the Old Main Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Historic District.[11] They were documented in 2001 for the Historic American Engineering Record.[12]

Survey No. Name (as assigned by HAER) Built Documented Carries Crosses Location County Coordinates
NJ-136 D,L&W, North Bergen Tunnel 1877 2001 NJ Transit Hoboken Division tracks Bergen Hill Jersey City Hudson 40°44′25″N 74°03′45″W
NJ-137 D,L&W, South Bergen Tunnel 1911 2001 NJ Transit Hoboken Division tracks Bergen Hill Jersey City Hudson 40°44′24″N 74°03′45″W

See also

References
  1. French, Kenneth (2002). Railroads of Hoboken and Jersey City. Images of Rail. Arcadia Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-7385-0966-2.
  2. "The New Bergen Tunnel" (PDF). New York Times. May 12, 1877.
  3. Bianculli, Anthony J. (2008), Iron Rails in the Garden State: Tales of New Jersey Railroading, Indiana University Press, ISBN 9780253351746
  4. "NJT - North Bergen Tunnel". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  5. "NJT – South Bergen Tunnel". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  6. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, North Bergen Tunnel, Through Bergen Hill from Prospect Street at Ogden Avenue to John F. Kennedy Boulevard at Beacon Avenue, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ. HAER NJ-136. Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey.
  7. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, South Bergen Tunnel, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJ. HAER NJ-137. Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey.
  8. "Bergen Tunnel Rehabilitation" (PDF). Gall Zeidler Consultants. 2001. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  9. "NJ Transit to Begin Rehabilitation of Aging Bergen Tunnel in Early Summer". May 10, 2001. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  10. "Bergen Tunnel Construction Continues". August 10, 2001. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  11. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  12. "Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey: Search Results: Bergen Tunnels". Library of Congress. 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
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