Ok, so the Lackawanna Cutoff was an inferior freight routing since the DLW main down Garrett Mountain (Paterson) was removed for I-80. And,
I-80 needs major reconstruction to handle the heavy traffic from cars and trucks.
How about, during said major reconstruction, NJDOT builds in room for a new railroad in Paterson? The state doesn’t actually need to lay ties and rail, just create a box for the first taker. Sell the rights to the Cutoff and said Garrett Mountain Grade as a package deal for $1, property tax to be refunded by the state for every year there is active rail on the entirety of both properties (with a ten-year grace period for every year there is active construction - these things aren’t instantaneous after all.)
I’m not sure any major road would take the offer - NS has a route, CSX has a route, CP and CN are currently content to route over those two - but it’s a way to possibly entice a public-private partnership that would benefit a number of stakeholders.
I-80 needs major reconstruction to handle the heavy traffic from cars and trucks.
How about, during said major reconstruction, NJDOT builds in room for a new railroad in Paterson? The state doesn’t actually need to lay ties and rail, just create a box for the first taker. Sell the rights to the Cutoff and said Garrett Mountain Grade as a package deal for $1, property tax to be refunded by the state for every year there is active rail on the entirety of both properties (with a ten-year grace period for every year there is active construction - these things aren’t instantaneous after all.)
I’m not sure any major road would take the offer - NS has a route, CSX has a route, CP and CN are currently content to route over those two - but it’s a way to possibly entice a public-private partnership that would benefit a number of stakeholders.