Washington Street Redesign Project – ‘Main Street’ Makeover

On Jul 15, 2020

Age has been taking its toll on Washington Street, the City of Hoboken’s thriving business, cultural and historic backbone for more than 150 years. Its traffic signals were among the oldest in the country, the street design wasn’t optimal for moving traffic efficiently in a modern commercial center, and water main breaks and flooding from storm events reflected the serious toll taken on crucial infrastructure over the decades. It was time for much-needed upgrades. 

The city established priorities for its $19.5-million “Main Street” revitalization project. This included improvements to pedestrian safety, environmental performance, the roadway surface, and water system. New street designs were integrated to advance mobility, transit access, economic vitality, and aesthetics.  

Traffic and pedestrian upgrades were vital to advancing mobility and safety, including: new traffic signals with emergency pre-emption to enhance response time for emergency vehicles; high visibility crosswalks and curb extensions to reduce crossing distance and to calm traffic; narrow travel lanes; color-coated, textured facilities for cyclists; bus stops with color-coated pavement; delineated on-street parking spaces and loading zones; back-in angled parking spaces; and LED lighting installed for improved energy efficiency.  

Further, a microgrid – a separate power generation and distribution network that would operate during a blackout or other weather-related outage – was incorporated into the street’s new infrastructure to ensure the community and businesses could continue functioning in such crises.  

For improved water and storm management, 9,000 linear feet of water main was replaced, as were hundreds of domestic and fire service lines, and 31 fire hydrants. Green infrastructure included rain gardens designed to limit water and storm damage, which were incorporated into curb “bump outs.” 

With this project, which involved up to 25 construction workers on-site daily, Washington Street has been upgraded to meet the needs of a thriving city with utility infrastructure improvements and safety and convenience for all users. 

ENGINEER 

T&M Associates
Middletown 

BUILDER 

Underground Utilities Corp.
Linden 

FINANCE ENTITY 

City of Hoboken and the 
US Department of Transportation 

NOMINATOR 

T&M Associates

To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.