The City of Hoboken will rehabilitate their Midtown Garage this spring, part of a three-year effort overall, after the city council unanimously approved (9-0) a $31,977,000 contract on Monday.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The contract was awarded to Piscataway-based Epic Management Inc., the second lowest out of five bids, for the duration of the project, the resolution says.
This investment in our infrastructure is about fixing real, day-to-day issues residents experience at Midtown Garage while also protecting one of the City’s most important parking assets,” outgoing Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
“Right now, we cannot use the garage to its full capacity because of the conditions. This project will allow us to restore needed spaces, improve reliability for permit holders and visitors, and avoid far more disruptive and expensive emergency repairs down the road.”
Midtown Garage, which opened in 2003, was constructed using thin precast slabs with cast-in-place concrete, a method that has since been discouraged by the International Parking & Mobility Institute due to vulnerability to corrosion and long-term durability concerns.
As a result, the garage is more susceptible to corrosion and has fallen into disrepair more quickly than Hoboken’s older municipal garages, leading the city to close portions of the facility to parking and reduce its total capacity of 730 spaces.
Over the years, the city has invested in interim repairs, including waterproofing and concrete restoration, to maintain operations, but the repairs did not fully resolve the underlying challenges.
While the city’s contracted structural engineer, Greenman-Pederson, Inc., has determined that the garage remains structurally sound and safe for continued use, the city will undertake a complete replacement of the concrete deck slabs and roof.
The project will also include the installation of new traffic-bearing waterproof membranes, replacement of expansion joints, drainage, upgrades to conduit and electrical systems, repainting of the steel framing, and more to create a cleaner and more welcoming environment.
Throughout the duration of the project, the city will maintain access to at least 50 percent of the garage parking spaces at any given time. Construction areas will rotate and include both transient and monthly permit spaces.
A portion of monthly permit holders will be temporarily relocated to Garages B and D, with the City providing advance notice.
For more information on the Midtown Garage Rehabilitation Plan, click here.
