January 3, 2005

NEW PARKING DECK FULLY OPENS TODAY

 

RAHWAY- The city’s new 524-car parking deck downtown officially opened to permit parkers this morning at 5 a.m.  Located at 1436 Main Street, the deck is bounded by Irving, Lewis and Main Streets, across from the NJ Transit train station and has been named the Rahway Transportation Center.

 

“This deck has been desired by commuters, business owners and civic leaders for decades,” said Kennedy.  “We now have more parking spaces while reducing our dependence on widely-scattered surface parking lots that are not conducive to transit-friendly land use,”

 

The Mayor added that a major developer is considering building a hotel and residential complex on the site adjacent to the parking deck that once housed the old Rahway Moose lodge and a gas station.

 

The cost of the $8.8 million deck is being shared between the Parking Authority and NJ Transit. Rahway’s train station, which serves nearly 3,000 riders daily, is one of the busiest in the state.

 

Rahway was named a “Transit Village” by the state in 2002 and has seen its redevelopment efforts around the train station honored by New Jersey Future, the Regional Business Partnership and Downtown New Jersey.  This new facility is a key component of the city’s revitalization initiative.

 

“Parking permits have traditionally been difficult to obtain due to the lengthy waiting lists and long walks from parking lot to train station,” said Parking Authority Chairman Gregory Hardoby, who added that the deck will see its first permit parkers on Monday, January 3, 2005. “This deck will increase our amount of available parking spaces available to the public by over 200 percent.”

 

The deck was designed by Timothy Haahs & Associates of Philadelphia and was built by Fitzpatrick & Associates of Eatontown. 

 

Hours of operation are weekdays from 5 am to 12:30 am and Saturdays from 5 am to 11 pm.  The deck is closed on Sundays.  Monthly permits cost $65, and hourly rates are available.

 

For more information, contact the Rahway Parking Authority at (732) 381-8778 or http://www.rahwayparking.com.