Council debates hiring engineer to finish Manhattan–Franklin bike-lane design as grant deadline looms

JERSEY CITY — Council members debated whether to authorize and/or walk onto the agenda a contract to hire an engineering firm to complete full designs for a protected bikeway on Manhattan and Franklin avenues, saying the city faces a mid‑June grant deadline from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

A staff member from the Division of Engineering told the council the award would let an engineering firm develop a “full design of the project that we would then have to submit to the NJDOT for their approval.” The staff member said the contract would be paid from the city’s budget and that the DOT grant would fund construction only. “We are required to get all of the plans developed, get the bid package together, and, get the project out to bid and awarded by that June deadline in order to be able to use the grant funding,” the staff member said.

The engineering staff said the resolution prepared would authorize a contract to FPA (an engineering firm) for a not‑to‑exceed amount of $162,000 to produce the designs and the bid package. The staff member described the contract as a professional‑services engagement with a not‑to‑exceed amount and said the city would only pay for work actually completed.

Elias Guzman of the Transportation Planning Department said the full design would include “inch by inch dimensions,” construction details and the documents DOT needs to release construction funding. He added the schedule is compressed: once the design is finished, the city must advertise a construction bid (a minimum of 22 days), then return to council to award the construction contract before the DOT deadline.

Several council members said they support continuing design work but urged coordination with public safety. One councilmember said public safety had previously opposed the full‑length plan, and another urged that the engineer start on Franklin Avenue as a compromise if a full‑length plan is not agreed. “Public safety did put up opposition towards the full length of the bike lane. They seemed a little bit more amenable towards the alternative plan,” a councilmember said. Another councilmember said hiring the engineer now and continuing stakeholder conversations was the pragmatic path: “Vote on the engineering contract on Wednesday … and then you get guidance from us in the two weeks following.”

Councilmembers repeatedly warned the timeline is tight. The engineering staff said meeting the DOT deadline is feasible only with condensed schedules and fewer later changes: “We would have to award this contract to an engineer … we would want about two and a half months … so we're already shortening that into about a month.”

No formal vote on the engineering contract was recorded during the caucus. Council members discussed two options: introduce the contract as a late item for the next meeting to secure engineering services quickly, or delay and risk missing the DOT deadline.

Why it matters: The city risks losing a state bikeways grant unless a design and construction procurement are completed by mid‑June. The decision ties city funds for design (quoted at $162,000) to potential future construction funded by NJDOT and raises public‑safety and neighborhood concerns about traffic and emergency access along corridors with schools and a firehouse.

Looking ahead: Staff said they will provide councilmembers the resolution and contract documents prior to the next meeting and offered to facilitate meetings between the engineering team, public safety and neighborhood advocates to refine the design.