While upgrades to the roadway of the 14th Street Viaduct in early 2011 will be visible to motorists, construction will also be taking place below, where new recreation space will be created after seven years of planning.
Money from the federal government will fund the upgrade of the roadway and redesign of the area underneath into new recreational space. The project will take two and a half years to complete, according to Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise.
Minimal traffic interruption
One concern residents may have is how traffic will be affected once construction is underway.
“There will always be both ways of traffic open on the viaduct throughout the process,” said Hoboken Communications Director Juan Melli.
The city unveiled the final plans for the area under the viaduct on Tuesday night spanning from Madison to Grand avenues under the roadway.
Residents can expect to see construction begin in early 2011, and the project will take two and a half years to complete.
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A long traffic history
The viaduct was originally constructed in 1908. The 31-span bridge is 1,460-feet in length, and averages 20,000 vehicles on a daily basis.
The project is the largest public works project in the tenure of DeGise, who has held the office of county executive since 2002.
The redesign began in 2003, but was given even more importance after the 2007 I-35 Mississippi River Bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, according to DeGise.
When bridges were evaluated throughout the state following the Minneapolis bridge collapse, the 14th Street Viaduct received a “low” rating, according to DeGise. The impetus to get the project moving faster began with this evaluation.
Despite receiving a low rating, DeGise said the viaduct is not in danger of collapse, but it is due for an upgrade.
Paid for by the federal government
According to Bob Jasek, Hudson County engineer, the project is completely paid for by the federal government.
“Every step of the way, we went back to the federal government,” DeGise said.
The project will cost approximately $55 million, according to the city of Hoboken.
“They money goes into the state [from the federal government], but it’s earmarked for a particular project,” DeGise said. “There’s a pipeline. It’s federal money. It began seven years ago when Senator [Robert] Menendez was Congressman Menendez, and we continued working with him throughout the process.”
After the money goes into the state, it is directed to the county. The city of Hoboken and the county worked together on the design for the area under the viaduct.
‘We need this’
Hudson County Freeholder and Police Captain Anthony Romano said the project is something that is overdue.
“[They’re] giving Hoboken something it deserves,” Romano said. “We need this.”
Fifth Ward Councilman Peter Cunningham spoke about the community effort that went into designing the project. Cunningham thanked the group of residents and local business owners who worked with the county to come up with the designs, and gave a specific example of how the community group worked with the county.
Last November, the city held a community development meeting regarding the project and asked residents to place ideas on blank blueprints of the area to help with the design, according to Parking Director Ian Sacs.
At the meeting, the city asked if members of the community wanted to become even further involved with the project and serve on a stakeholders group. The group of stakeholders evaluated the recommendations and worked with the county to develop the finalized plans.
One stakeholder, very late in the process, asked if the county could accommodate increased pedestrian safety in the area. Although the plans were almost finalized, Cunningham said the county went back and changed the designs to reflect the resident’s input.
The project was heralded at the press conference as a collaborative effort between the three levels of government.
“We took the public comments and, at several following stakeholders meetings, we worked with the fire and police chiefs and spoke with Director [Brandy] Forbes to work with pedestrian safety,” Sacs said.
One woman, who lives in the Fifth Ward, stopped by the press conference to take a look at the designs.
“It’s really nice, but I’m concerned about traffic,” said the resident, who did not wish to be named. “I love the fact that they’re rebuilding, but I am concerned about the two and a half year plan. I’m afraid, with the way things are built, that it could take longer.”
Sacs said that even though the future of the northwest area is not completely clear, it could be a site for more community development in the future.
“This whole area has huge future potential,” Sacs said.
Ray Smith can be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com.