Hoboken has very few access points, including the 14th Street Viaduct from uptown Hoboken to Union City and Jersey City Heights.
A study conducted by the county of Hudson two years ago concluded that the Viaduct is in a state of continuing disrepair. The county, which owns the thoroughfare, is now in the second stage of rebuilding the bridge.
Local officials are also discussing plans for a possible recreation area under the bridge.
Stage one of bridge replacement, according to County Engineer Bob Jasek, was researching the condition of the 1910 steel structure and funding the $45 million multi-year project. The federal government is paying for the project via the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The county had already done three major repairs to the bridge in the previous 20 years, including one repair that finished in 1995. But the more recent county report concluded that the bridge is deteriorating too much to support continued repairs and rehabilitations.
“When I just came on the board [in 1995],” said former County Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons last week, “we had a ribbon-cutting for the repairs on it. It was my understanding that we would get another 30 years out of it.”
Not so, says the county.
Zimmer wants a bike lane
When a 40-year-old bridge on I-38W in Minneapolis collapsed and killed 13 people on Aug. 1, 2007, Hoboken officials started wondering whether the 97-year-old Viaduct was a dangerous structure.
“I think all county officials were concerned when that bridge went down in Minneapolis,” Fitzgibbons said.
Freeholder Anthony Romano, who replaced Fitzgibbons earlier this year and represents Hoboken and Jersey City Heights, said he intends to include the public in the process. Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer has already expressed her request for a bike lane, he said.
As the project moves along, Romano intends to meet with residents to get feedback, especially on the possible use of the underbridge area for recreational purposes.
Under the bridge
“It may be too small for a basketball court,” Romano said. “It’ll be discussed as the project evolves.”
Fitzgibbons said, “Underneath is what I’m excited about. Think about the possibilities.”
Preliminary designs show a brick façade along the lower portion of the bridge, and a pedestrian area between Willow Avenue and Clinton Street.
Romano said the idea may help bring foot traffic to the area, which is currently awaiting the opening a new movie theatre this fall.
As the design stands right now, Clinton Street will no longer be open to vehicular traffic at 14th Street, only pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Many trucks without proper overhead clearance have damaged the bridge over the years at the Clinton Street underpass.
“We’re trying to expedite it as quick as humanly possible.” – Bill O’Dea
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Currently, the New York-based Rockefeller group owns some property in that area and is thought to be considering residential development.
Cutting the bridge in half
Jasek said the second phase of the bridge project – design – is 20 percent complete.
Third phase will be getting site approvals from various agencies. He hopes the county can award an open-bid contract by November of 2010 to begin phase four, which is construction.
During construction, the road will literally be cut in half, Jasek explained, allowing traffic to continue up and down on one lane in each direction.
“It’s more costly to keep it open,” Jasek said, “but there’s no other way.”
Construction could be completed by 2012, Romano said, if all goes well.
“It’s going to be an inconvenience,” Romano said, “but it’s going to be state of the art.”
‘Poor physical condition’
A county report on the condition of the current structure is bleak.
“It has been established that this project is needed because of the poor physical condition and low structural capacity of the bridge members,” the report states. “The superstructure members are fracture critical, meaning that the failure of any one primary member could result in the loss of a span or a portion of a span. The fracture critical construction makes the poor condition of the structure even more of a concern.”
Freeholder Bill O’Dea, who chairs the Public Resources Committee tasked with “shepherding” the project, said, “We’re trying to expedite it as quick as humanly possible.”
The county will widen the bridge’s north edge, since the south edge is too close to existing buildings and businesses.
Timothy J. Carroll may be reached at tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.