Lackawanna Cutoff hearings planned

Andover - A local public hearing on the proposed reopening of the Lackawanna Cutoff is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 3 to 8 p.m. Presentations by N.J. Transit officials will be at 4 and 7 p.m. Andover would be the site of a new station should passenger service be restored on the line. Three other public hearings have also been scheduled for the month of January. N.J. Transit estimates the cost of reopening the cutoff at $550 million, but believes the environmental impact will be negligible. A trip from the Delaware Water Gap to New York City would take about two hours. Discussion of reopening the cutoff to rail traffic began in the early 1990s with the thought it might reduce highway traffic along the Route 80 corridor. Rails on the line were torn up in the 1970s and 1980s, and a total of 88 miles would have to be reconstructed. The New Jersey section would be 28 miles. The rail line extended deep into Pennsylvania. Two railroad bridges would also need reconstruction or replacement. Passenger trains would run to Hoboken. N.J. Transit has stations in Dover and Hackettstown. To examine the entire report on the cutoff, go to njtransit.com and click on “about NJ Transit,” then “capital projects” and “system expansion.”