Is floodwater compromising these NJ Transit tracks in Mahwah? The township has concerns

Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

MAHWAH — Monday's flooding of South Railroad Avenue has heightened township concerns that a yearlong problem with a damaged NJ Transit culvert may be eroding the embankment supporting its railroad tracks off Franklin Turnpike.

Township Administrator Ben Kezmarsky said Tuesday that an apartment complex east of the tracks has experienced flooding from the damaged culvert for the past year.

However, Monday's flooding west of the tracks is new, and it suggests that the culvert flow may be eroding a tunnel under the railroad tracks.

Owners of a Mahwah apartment complex have filed suit for damages from flooding by a nearby damaged culvert owned by New Jersey Transit.
Owners of a Mahwah apartment complex have filed suit for damages from flooding by a nearby damaged culvert owned by New Jersey Transit.

"Yesterday our township engineer reached out to his New Jersey Transit contact regarding the erosion of that embankment," Kezmarsky said Tuesday. "South Railroad Avenue flooded yesterday for the first time that any of us can recall, the concern being that the water found another path under the tracks."

Kezmarsky said NJ Transit officials "stated that their team would come inspect the damage."

Related: Why did this week's rainstorm hit North Jersey so hard? It could be El Niño

NJ Transit officials did not immediately respond to a request by The Record for comment. It is not known how the culvert became damaged.

Tort claim filed

A truck carrying supplies along the New Jersey Transit tracks in the area of the damaged culvert fell into a sinkhole in last April.
A truck carrying supplies along the New Jersey Transit tracks in the area of the damaged culvert fell into a sinkhole in last April.

Martin Kenwood, the owner/managing member of the Mall & Starview Gardens apartment complex at 250-260 Franklin Turnpike, filed tort claims against NJ Transit and the township in November after a year of seeking repairs to the culvert. He said the flooding produces "several feet of water in our garages" and has damaged the garage doors.

The tort claims the culvert to be the responsibility of NJ Transit, the state of New Jersey, and Mahwah's sewer utility system. A May 5 email from NJ Transit Deputy General Counsel Joseph Snow, submitted as part of the claim, blames the flooding at least in part on Mahwah for "drainage being diverted to the culvert."

A damaged culvert (yellow) along the New Jersey Transit tracks in Mahwah has caused flooding to an apartment complex on Franklin Turnpike east of the tracks, and most recently during Monday's rainstorm to South Railroad Avenue west of the tracks.
A damaged culvert (yellow) along the New Jersey Transit tracks in Mahwah has caused flooding to an apartment complex on Franklin Turnpike east of the tracks, and most recently during Monday's rainstorm to South Railroad Avenue west of the tracks.

But Kezmarksy said the culvert and its upkeep are NJ Transit's responsibility.

"If the culvert wasn’t compromised, the water would flow as it always has," Kezmarsky said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mahwah NJ flooding leads to apartment owner suing NJ Transit