The Harsimus Stem Embankment, also called Sixth Street Embankment, is a half-mile-long historic railroad embankment, now abandoned and largely overgrown with foliage, in the heart of the historic downtown of Jersey City, New Jersey in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The embankment runs along the south side of Sixth Street west from Marin Boulevard to Brunswick Street. It is the border between the Harsimus and Hamilton Park neighborhoods. The overhead tracks of the beam bridge west of Brunswick Street were dismantled but the stone

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

s remain. This elevated stone structure once carried seven tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Passaic and Harsimus Line to its freight yards and

carfloat A railroad car float or rail barge is a specialised form of lighter with railway tracks mounted on its deck used to move rolling stock across water obstacles, or to locations they could not otherwise go. An unpowered barge, it is towed by a tugb ...

operations on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

Harsimus Cove Harsimus (also known as Harsimus Cove) is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment (the Sixth Street Embankment) on the north to Christophe ...

, and to its warehouse and distribution facility (now Harborside Financial Center). The line was part of the railroad's holdings on the waterfront, which included the Exchange Place passenger terminal and the

Greenville Yard Greenville Yard is a freight rail yard in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located on Upper New York Bay in Jersey City, New Jersey adjacent and north of Port Jersey. Originally developed in 1904 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, it was la ...

. The Embankment is listed on the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office with ...

, is eligible for the

National Register The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, and is a Jersey City municipal landmark. In 2010, a local citizens' movement lobbied local governments, chiefly

Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...

and the city of Jersey City, to acquire the land and convert the embankment to a public park. The developer who owns the land where the embankment is located is opposed. In September 2010 a federal court ruled that sale to the developer was legal and that the city has previously not exercised its first option to buy the right-of-way from Conrail. The decision meant the city could claim the structure through eminent domain. A $1 million grant request was not honored. The developer's proposals to sell portions of the land to the city were rejected in 2011. The case was brought to an appeals court, which found that the case against the developer could proceed. In January 2012 it was announced that a deal had been arranged whereby the city would purchase the property for $7 million. In September 2012 it was ruled that Conrail had not gone through the required process of "abandonment" and was not legally able to sell the property. Again in 2020, a deal was announced. The city has agreed to allow for high-rise residential development along one block of the embankment.

References

External links

Harsimus Stem Embankment Preservation Coalition

6th Street Embankment

Appellate court brief regardin Conrail transfer

Surface Transportation Board filings

Consolidated_Rail_Corporation-Abandonment_Exemption-in_Hudson_County,_NJ_[STB_Docket_No._AB-167_(Sub-No._1189X)_2009

*_ {{coord.html" ;"title="TB Docket No. AB-167 (Sub-No. 1189X) 2009">Consolidated Rail Corporation-Abandonment Exemption-in Hudson County, NJ
*_ {{coord">40.7252.html" ;"title="TB Docket No. AB-167 (Sub-No. 1189X) 2009

* {{coord">40.7252">-74.0441, type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Jersey City, New Jersey History of Jersey City, New Jersey Pennsylvania Railroad bridges Rail infrastructure in New Jersey Railroad bridges in New Jersey Beam bridges in the United States Viaducts in the United States Transportation buildings and structures in Hudson County, New Jersey

See also

References

External links