PAVING GRACE: Hoboken to (Finally) Fix Washington Street

In what will likely come as a blow to automotive tire and suspension mechanics in the Hoboken area, the City has announced it will begin construction on Washington Street—its pock-marked, pothole-plagued main corridor—starting in January.

“Work on the project was scheduled to begin this fall,” said the City of Hoboken in a press release, “however due to a frivolous legal challenge by one of the bidders, the City was unable to award the contract until last week.”

The $17 million project will begin soon after the New Year. “The contract requires that all work between Observer Highway and 8^th Street be complete within 365 days,” says the City, “and that the entire project between Observer Highway and 15^th Street be complete within 550 days.”

In addition to milling, paving and striping Washington Street from Observer Highway to 15^th Street, the project also includes:

• Installation of 15 new traffic signals with pedestrian countdown timers, emergency pre-emption system, and optimized signal timing
• Installation of concrete bump outs at corners with ADA handicap curb ramps and high visibility crosswalks
• Addition of 15 rain gardens and drainage improvements to capture stormwater and help reduce the City’s flooding
• Replacement of century-old water mains and service lines to new valve boxes at the curb
• Installation of conduit for an electrical microgrid and fiber optic cabling
• Refurbishment of all existing street lights with more efficient lighting fixtures
• Addition of Class II unprotected bicycle lanes from Observer Highway to 8^thStreet
• Creation of dedicated commercial loading zones

After a contentious battle over bike lanes, the revised final plan for Washington Street was approved in June. The new design will include Class II “non-protected” bike lanes, rather than the ambitious Class I lanes initially proposed.

Project updates will be posted on the project website at www.washingtonstreetproject.com, which will be available as of Friday, December 9^th.

Any veteran of large-scale construction projects in the Garden State will tell you that there may be a few bumps in the road, pun intended. Stay tuned to hMAG.com for the latest information.