HOBOKEN – Mayor Dawn Zimmer said she will wait to open 1600 Park, an uptown recreation area under construction, until a traffic light can be installed by the county near 16th Street and Park Avenue.
The park was slated to be opened in the fall, and the council even voted in May calling on the administration to have the park open by that time, but Zimmer said the safety concerns due to the speed of traffic near the Park Avenue bridge made her decide to hold off until a light could be installed.
Zimmer said she would try to have the light installed in an expedited fashion, and will ask the county if they will allow Boswell Engineering, the city’s engineer, to complete the studies required before a light is installed.
“At this point I’m not sure of the timeframe, but it will not be finished by this fall,” Zimmer said.
Since the city will hold off on construction until the signal is in place, the mayor said she will look at possibly continuing to modify the park to improve its design, including lowering the retaining walls around the park’s exterior.
For more on 1600 Park and other park sites around the city, keep reading HudsonReporter.com and make sure to pick up a copy of The Hoboken Reporter this weekend. – Ray Smith