DESCRIPTION: Liberty State Park (LSP) is located in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, on the western side of Upper New York Bay. The project site is 234 acres of undeveloped semi-degraded parkland within a fenced area of LSP. LSP was built upon a former rail yard whose habitat has degraded over decades by fill, converting wetland habitat into an upland environment. Today, Liberty State Park is an extraordinary and unique public resource located in a metropolitan region of 20 million population, with five million visitors annually. The restoration of the 234 acre interior section will provide substantial benefit to all 1,121 acres by linking previously restored components of the park into one cohesive whole. The restoration project will include the creation of 46 acres of salt marsh, 26 acres of freshwater wetlands, 50 acres of grasslands, and the enhancement of 100 acres of urban hardwood and maritime forest. This restoration will significantly enhance the ecological value of the wetlands, create habitat for fish and water birds, freshwater wetlands will restore bio-diversity to park habitat, habitat will provide for treatment of runoff and enhance the habitat for listed species.
With over five million visitors per year, two educational facilities, and existing relationships with several universities, Liberty State Park provides an unparalleled forum for the study and enjoyment of public open space and should be used as a model for the integration and maintenance of diverse habitat structure in an urban context.
PROJECT AUTHORIZATION: Liberty State Park constitutes the first interim response to the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study (HRE-Overall). The study was authorized by a resolution of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives, dated 15 April 1999, Docket 2596. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is the non-Federal sponsor for the HRE-Overall study; the State of New Jersey will be the sponsor for LSP construction. The project was authorized in Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2007, Section 1001(31).
STATUS: The Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement for Liberty State Park was completed in fall 2005, and approved by HQ. Chief of Engineers report issued in Aug 2006. Authorized in WRDA 2007. Contingent upon funding, next step is Pre-Construction Engineering and Design (PED) Phase. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) will be the non-Federal sponsor for the project and has advanced the Pre-construction and Engineering Design (PED) phase for the freshwater wetlands through the USACE Interagency and International Services (IIS) Program. Contingent upon funding, construction could begin at Liberty State Park at any time.
PROJECT COST:
Estimated Federal Cost (65%) $22,588,150
Estimated Non-Federal Cost (35%) $12,162,850
Total $34,751,000
CONTACT:
Ms. Lisa Baron
Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
Phone: (917) 790-8306
E-mail: lisa.a.baron@usace.army.mil
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278-0090
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS: NJ-8