PAVING GRACE: Hoboken to (Finally) Fix Washington Street

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 8th Street be complete within 365 days,” says the City, “and that the entire project between Observer Highway and 15th Street be complete within 550 days.”

In addition to milling, paving and striping Washington Street from Observer Highway to 15th 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 8thStreet
  • Creation of dedicated commercial loading zones

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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 9th.

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.

Authored by: hMAG