If you’ve seen all the construction outside of Dina’s and W. Kodak you know: things are a-changin’. Recently Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer was joined by Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano, Council President Jen Giattino, other members of the City Council as well as local business owners to cut the ribbon to inaugurate Hoboken’s new Newark Street plaza.
“Streets make up the vast majority of our public space, and this project reclaims a portion of the street to create a dynamic public space for residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “This project builds upon Hoboken’s reputation as one of the most walk-friendly cities in the country by creating safer intersections, wider sidewalks, and new gathering space. The new plaza will be a great place to relax, read a book, or enjoy an outdoor lunch from the many great nearby food options.”
The plaza is part of a safety redesign of Newark Street between Washington Street and Hudson Street. The new plaza includes street trees, bistro tables and chairs, and Adirondack chairs and creates a new public space at the busy corner of Newark Street and Washington Street.
“Hoboken’s unique vitality and livability is tied to a great extent to its outstanding streetscape,” said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. “That is why we were so pleased to work in partnership to add this new plaza to Newark Street, which is actually a county road right in the heart of downtown Hoboken.” Other project features include a widened sidewalk on the south side of the street to accommodate more than 3,000 pedestrians during peak periods. There will also be curb bumpouts at corners to improve pedestrian safety by extending the sidewalk, reducing pedestrian crossing distances, and improving intersection visibility — and of course, restoration of the historic Belgian block roadway to emphasize the street’s historic character and naturally calm traffic. While we’re not sure that traffic could ever be calmed, the cobblestone is definitely very aesthetically pleasing!
Funding for the project was secured by Senator Robert Menendez through a $240,000 federal appropriation and through $118,000 grant from the NJ DOT through the Transportation Enhancement Program. The project was managed by Hudson County and designed in collaboration with the City of Hoboken.
What do you think of the new redesign? Comment below!
