Submitted by D_Empire412 t3_zzlxei in jerseycity
I know I have made a lot of transit proposals for JC in the past and most require new underwater tunneling. However, one thing we seem to take for granted is the Holland Tunnel. The Holland Tunnel is a huge traffic nightmare and driving through it is usually the worst way of crossing the Hudson. For example, I'd rather spend 4 minutes on a crowded train than 20 minutes in a crowded tunnel. But, what if we actually took better advantage of this tunnel and used it exclusively for public transit purposes, creating a new underground BRT/light rail system that could go through it? Here's a concept for a route this system could take.
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As seen, the BRT/Streetcar would start in southern Bayonne and run overground, in dedicated lanes along JFK Blvd, making stops around every half a mile. It would continue until Communipaw Avenue in Bergen-Lafayette, where it would turn east and continue to Pacific Avenue, where it would curve underground and continue into DTJC. It would make a stop at Center Street, then Jersey Avenue, where it would curve north up to Hamilton Park, where it would curve east toward Newport, making one final stop with connections to the PATH and HBLR, before entering the Holland Tunnel, where it would continue toward its next stop, Canal Street and Varick Street/6th Avenue, with connections to the 1, A, C, and E trains, and then Canal Street/Broadway, to connect to the N, Q, R, W, J, Z, and 6 trains, and finally, East Broadway, to connect with the F train.
Besides cost, there are many benefits with a BRT/Streetcar:
- Would be able to share lanes
- Would be quieter
- Could have more rolling stock and shorter headways
- Be largely unaffected by traditional traffic unlike a normal bus