Decorative panels and a paint job are in store for the railroad trestles and beams in the center of downtown.

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City Council awarded a contract (AR-100-20) during its April 13 regular meeting to Parlin-based CME Associates for “professional engineering services for Amtrak structures improvements,” in the amount of $84,846.

The first phase of the project is design engineering, City Administrator Robert Landolfi said, adding that he hopes the permitting process could be completed by year’s end. The work would focus on the area encompassed by Irving, Broad and Cherry streets, which includes a NJ Transit bus stop.

Improvements won’t alter the trestle structurally, according to Landolfi. “It’s in design but what it’ll end up is some decorative panels on the ground level, covering some walls. We’ll probably end up painting actual columns, do something to prime it and then paint it. I’m not sure what we’ll do with the overhead yet, depending on the cost,” he said during a telephone interview last month.

Designs will depend on what Amtrak will require in terms of the level of priming and painting and how to anchor any type of panels, according to Landolfi. “If they require we strip everything down, it will get real expensive. Before we start throwing out numbers, that’s one of the things that starts happening in the first phase, what the design will be, what Amtrak will accept,” he said.

Anchoring the decorative panels is a major undertaking. “It’s a far cheaper process than trying to go in and sandblast or whatever,” Landolfi said, but “it’s not as easy as throwing up office panels.”

There’s no timeline because permitting will be a really big aspect, according to Landolfi said. “We hope to have permitting done and some work to commence this year, but that’s just not realistic. Permitting is going to be a big chunk of time; honestly, I would love to have permits in hand from Amtrak by end of the year,” he said.

The city awarded the contract but ultimately the Rahway Arts and Business Partnership (RABP) will fund the work, Landolfi said. “We’ll oversee the contract, the design aspect of it, in effect as a bank, make payments to the consultant, and be reimbursed,” he said.

It’s unclear how much the COVID-19 pandemic might slow down the process but Landolfi expects it might “slow it down a lot.” Since the work is technically cosmetic the city isn’t anticipating any funding or reimbursement from Amtrak, he said. It’s possible the city could dedicate funds toward the project in the capital plan but that’s “not on the radar” yet.

In 2017, residents approached City Council and the administration about improving the condition and cleanliness of the numerous railroad underpasses around town.

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