Dear Editor;
Hoboken is in such a dilemma because of “location, location” like the real estate agents say. Our state development planners are pushing and kicking into the 21st century. They say development should be here where the sewerage and the rest of the infrastructure exists. Build here and the people will come and that they have.
But Hoboken, built for the 19th century, with narrow streets, placed between the Port Authority’s two tunnels and existing below the soaring Palisade Cliffs now has a problem; the traffic congestion from cars getting to it and through it. Our local officials grapple with it. What to do? What to do?
Well, our metropolitan planning organization does have a plan. They refer to our wonderful area as corridor #10 and the western section at the base of the Palisade Cliffs in Hoboken as section #4. Their plan is for a major road system from Bayonne to the George Washington Bridge. It has been described as connecting to interstate highways and tunnels with a new ramp into the Lincoln Tunnel eventually.
However, as intense development along the Hudson River waterfront proceeds, our local/state planners continue to treat road improvements as local rather than regional road improvements. Thus the studies of the traffic/environmental impacts on the adjoining cities remain limited in scope. But little by little this gets one missing link built in the corridor #10 plan.
Now Hoboken has a worse traffic problem than before. To solve it, will city officials permit the bypass road at the base of the Palisade Cliffs to be built? Will they permit it on a “traffic safety emergency” basis thereby avoiding a proper environmental study?
I’m reminded that years ago an incinerator was planned at the base of the Palisade Cliffs but scientific proof showed escaping fumes could not be safely blown away from the citizens living nearby. So it wasn’t built. But what about the tail pipe emissions from cars? How will that pollution be blown away from the Hoboken/Jersey City/Shades of Weehawken/Union City citizens?
Therefore I respectively request again that a comprehensive environmental impact study be made before any new section on this road system is built.
Susan O’Kane