Hoboken’s $17M Washington Street Redesign Will Start In 2017: Officials

HOBOKEN, NJ — Construction of the $17 million Washington Street rehabilitation and redesign project will begin in January, Hoboken city officials say.

Hoboken officials recapped the plans for the massive construction effort in a Tuesday news release. According to officials, 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 8th Street
• Creation of dedicated commercial loading zones

“The scope of the project improvements is limited to the roadway from curb to curb,” Hoboken officials stated in a news release. “With the exception of corners and improved lighting, the project will not include replacement of sidewalks or street furniture.”

City officials have previously described Washington Street as “Hoboken’s most dangerous corridor,” and have estimated that more than 300 crashes have taken place there between 2013 and 2015, including a pedestrian fatality.

• See related article: Hoboken's 'Most Dangerous Corridor': Design Meeting For Washington Street Scheduled

On Tuesday, Hoboken officials released more details about the timeline for the project

“The contract has been approved, and the contractor has been issued the Notice to Proceed and has begun mobilization for the project. The contractor anticipates beginning construction in early January, with the digging of test pits to minimize future utility conflicts during construction. The contract requires that all work between Observer Highway and 8th Street be complete within 365 days and that the entire project between Observer Highway and 15th Street be complete within 550 days. Additional project milestones require that the first traffic signal be installed and operational within five months, with an additional new signal operational every three weeks. The contractor will be assessed liquidated damages of $5,000 per day if the project is not completed on time.”

Construction hours will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. On weekdays, setup of daily activities will be permitted to begin at 6:30 a.m. with cleanup activities completed by 8 p.m. On Saturdays, setup is permitted to start at 8:30 a.m. with cleanup completed by 4 p.m.

“The project will involve the replacement of water mains as well as water service lines from the main to new valve boxes at the curb,” city officials said. “It will not include replacement of private service lines from the curb to buildings, so it is recommended that property owners who still have older lead water lines replace the service line to their property with copper pipe or other approved material. Please contact SUEZ Water at 844-341-5323 (LEAD) if you plan to replace your service line or visit www.mysuezwater.com/lead for more information.”

Officials added:

“Property owners who need to upgrade any private utilities that extend under the roadway including sewer laterals, gas, electric, cable, phone or internet are strongly urged to make all needed road and sidewalk openings as quickly as possible prior to completion of the project.”

Temporary delivery zones and trash storage and pickup areas will be established for the affected businesses/residents within the work zone areas, officials stated.

Project updates will be posted at www.washingtonstreetproject.com, which will be available as of Friday, Dec. 9, city officials said.

A ‘FRIVOLOUS LEGAL CHALLENGE’

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer didn’t mince words about why the long-heralded project is now months past the original estimated construction date of autumn 2016.

“The project was scheduled to begin in the fall, but a frivolous legal challenge by one of the bidders meant that we could only move forward with awarding the contract last week,” Zimmer stated in a Wednesday email.

Reaction to the city’s announcement was largely positive on social media:

• “I was literally just thinking this over the weekend while taking the bus down Washington street. Happy it's finally happening.”
• “Looks like they were listening.”
• “Thank goodness this is so needed!”

But some locals said that the project wasn’t a positive move for Hoboken:

• “The only thing that should be done on Washington street is repavement. Not a $17 million redesign.”
• “Hoboken is being ‘redesigned’ to death instead of limiting new construction or at least make parking mandatory for new all units in new buildings. I imagine they're certain that in 10 years we won't need cars. At the current pace, Hoboken will be just as homely and warm as Newport or Exchange Place.”

A few residents had questions and complaints about how the redesign might affect parking in the area, including one local who asked if the redesign would mean that locals are about to lose parking spots to meters.

“These are some good improvements, but I recently noticed markings, what I assume are for new parking meters up Washington and some on Hudson as well. Are residents about to lose parking spots to meters?”

City officials responded:

“The meters will not impact residents or anyone else with a Hoboken parking permit, including visitor tags. You can learn more about it at this link.”

• See related article: Hoboken Officials Announce Hybrid Parking Plan, Bond For New Meters

Photo: City of Hoboken, Facebook

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