NJ TransitGrid

SJH was a subconsultant to Jacobs, which was selected by NJ Transit to provide structural design and cost estimating services for the $577M NJ Transit Microgrid (NJ TRANSITGRID) project. The project was the result of a partnership between NJ Transit, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)—a first-of-its-kind project in the United States for public transportation. The team worked to implement a microgrid capable of providing reliable power for core critical transit infrastructure supporting rail systems operated by NJ Transit and other operators of the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The microgrid was designed to supply highly resilient power during critical times when the regional electric grid might be compromised due to storms or other events.

Key components of the new microgrid included a central, natural gas-fired power plant with supporting solar photovoltaic (PV) and combined heat and power (CHP) generation, associated substations, and transmission/distribution lines to substations that electrified the tracks and operating controls for critical portions of NJ Transit and the NEC systems, as well as connections to the PJM commercial grid. The proposed facility was designed to operate 24/7 and was sized to handle limited operations on the NEC between New York’s Penn Station and NJ Transit’s Jersey Avenue Station in New Brunswick; the Morris & Essex line between Hoboken Terminal and Newark’s Broad Street Station; the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) Transit System; and the signal system on a portion of the Main Line. It had the ability to operate independently from the existing utility system.

The team provided owner’s engineering services including overall project cost estimating, regulatory and economic advisory services, conceptual and preliminary design, procurement support, contract packaging for the procurement of design-build contracts, and construction assistance to support the development of the NJ TRANSITGRID. The phased approach included:

Phase I: Conceptual and Preliminary Design (0%–20%)
Phase II: Construction Assistance / Engineering Support

SJH provided a Validation Construction Cost Estimate and a Reconciliation Report of the Concept Cost Estimate, as well as Construction Cost Estimates at the completed 10% submittal and the preliminary design 20% Final submittal. The estimates contained adequate ‘Notes and Clarifications’ and breakdowns of costs for NJ Transit to use in evaluating the Design-Build bids.