In a letter to the editor, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer explains what residents and commuters can expect when the Washington Street redesign construction commences next month. 
Dear editor,
I’m very glad to share the news that we have awarded the contract and construction is about to begin in early January on the Washington Street redesign project!
In addition to repaving the entire roadway from Observer Highway to 15th Street, the project will make significant improvements to the infrastructure and safety along the entire corridor.
The improvements include the installation of concrete bump-outs at corners with high visibility crosswalks, 15 new traffic signals with pedestrian countdown timers, an emergency pre-emption system and optimized signal timing, all of which will make Washington Street safer for residents and visitors.
The project will add 15 rain gardens and drainage improvements to capture rain water and reduce flooding, as well as the proactive step of replacing the century-old water mains all along Washington Street, among other improvements
This is an exciting project that will dramatically improve our city’s main commercial corridor. The project was scheduled to begin in the fall, but a frivolous legal challenge by one of the bidders meant that we could only move forward with awarding the contract last week.
We will have regularly updated project status updates and much more information at www.washingtonstreetproject.com, which will go live on Friday, December 9.
Thank you,
Dawn Zimmer
Hoboken Mayor
