Under the overpass

Officials debut park and dog run beneath 14th Street Viaduct

County and city officials gathered this past Monday to cut the ribbon on Hoboken’s newest open space, tucked beneath the Fourteenth Street Viaduct in northwest Hoboken. A dog run and children’s playground are already open to the public, and the final touches are currently being placed on an asphalt basketball and roller hockey court between Madison and Jefferson streets.
The design of the recreation area was influenced by input from the city and neighboring residents at community meetings.
Among the new amenities are two blocks of open concrete between Jefferson and Clinton streets that the city hopes to use for farmer’s markets, outdoor movies, and concerts.
On Monday, Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the city hopes to lay down a synthetic ice rink in the space some time this winter. However, that cannot occur until county contractor J.H. Reid completes its work in roughly three to five weeks and the project is certified by state and federal inspectors.
Zimmer has made increasing open space a focal point of her tenure, and she hailed the under-viaduct park was a welcome asset for the city, and especially the underserved northwest quadrant.

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“This is proof of the result when you have collaboration between both county and city government.”—Anthony Romano
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The new amenities were built using county and federal funds. Last month, the City Council voted to offer $9.7 million for 6.1 additional acres of vacant lot space near the viaduct, presently owned by BASF, in hopes of building a full park.

Joint effort

Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano, and Zimmer were on hand to congratulate each other on the almost complete development.
“In a town like Hoboken, in a county like Hudson, where we cry out for the need for places for open space,” said DeGise, “we’re very proud to be standing here today.” He saluted the unity between city and county through the process of building the viaduct.
“This is proof of the result when you have collaboration between both county and city government,” said Freeholder Romano, who represents Hoboken and Jersey City Heights.
“I’m thrilled to have the [Bow Tie] movie theater here and restaurants and there’s a lot of things happening in this neighborhood and it’s going to continue to grow,” said Zimmer.

The open space is the last stage of Hudson County’s decade-long, $54 million project to completely renovate the main link between Hoboken and Union City and Jersey City Heights over the Palisades. The original viaduct had fallen into disrepair after more than a century of service.
Fully reopened to traffic in July, the new viaduct constitutes the largest public works project in Hudson County history. Some of the funding for the overpass came from a grant from the Federal Local Lead program.

What’s in the playground

The new playground is outfitted with a climbing rock and a musically oriented structure complete with drums and a xylophone. Astilbe, a hardy flowering perennial, has been planted along the dog run.
Where they pass underneath the viaduct, the north-south streets have been outfitted with traffic calming speed tables that double as pedestrian crossings. LED Lights have been installed all along the open space area and fall under the purview of Public Service Enterprise Group, the local electric and gas utility.
After the inspection of the viaduct is completed, Hoboken and Hudson County will negotiate an agreement for the maintenance and upkeep of the open space.

Security

One of the last steps in completing the project is hooking up the roughly 12 security cameras that will monitor the viaduct above and below. The camera feeds will be accessible by the police departments of Hoboken, Union City and Jersey City, along with the Hudson County Sherriff.
In October, the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved an additional $135,518 to cover installing the cameras.
Romano, who retired as a Hoboken police captain in 2011, said the viaduct had been a patrol district when he was on the force, known for its drug addicts and car thieves.
He credited the change in material conditions brought on by the new viaduct with triggering a change in social conditions. The project, he said, “follows the broken windows theory of what happens when you fix an area and now you draw good people here to enjoy it.”
Already, there was some indication of the need for continued police monitoring in the area. Hudson County Engineer Demetrio Arencibia said the basketball court was not supposed to be open yet, but that someone had cut the locks in order to get in.
The county subsequently decided to leave the court unlocked rather than place a new lock. “It was bound to happen,” he said.

Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.

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