HOBOKEN – Hudson County is seeking bids this month for an expected $55 million reconstruction of the 14th Street Viaduct connecting Hoboken with Union City.
County Engineer Bob Jasek said the county expects to receive the bids shortly and if one proves successful, construction on the two and a half-year long project could start by mid-year.
The federally-funded project was initiated by Hudson County after the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis. The project is being administered through the County, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
“We will be keeping the bridge open to traffic both ways during the whole project,” Jasek said.
Two lanes of the bridge will be reconstructed, leaving the other two lanes to allow traffic to continue.
Currently, the 14th Street Viaduct is about one quarter of a mile long and rises more than 70 feet, carrying an estimated 20,000 vehicles a day. Because the 100-year-old structure is considered a landmark, New Jersey’s Historic Preservation Office has required that certain steps be taken to have the replacement structure. – Al Sullivan