NJ DOT awards Hoboken an additional $876k for various upgrades to Sinatra Drive

The New Jersey Department of Transportation was awarded an additional $876,000, after issuing a $325,000 grant in January, to the City of Hoboken for various upgrades to Sinatra Drive.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

The Vision Zero-related upgrades includes resurfacing, and accessibility improvements to Sinatra Drive that will transform the roadway from 4th Street to 11th Street.

Along with the previous state funding, the city will use the latest grant to build out the missing links of the Green Circuit along the waterfront.

“Improving the safety and accessibility along our scenic waterfront has been a top priority for my administration,” Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.

“This $1.2 million in grant funding will not only give our waterfront a much-needed facelift but get us one step closer to completing the City’s Green Circuit. Thank you to Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Transportation for recognizing the importance of this project.”

The funding will improve safety and access along the City’s waterfront and help the City achieve its Vision Zero goal of eliminating all traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030.

Specifically, these grants will allow the city to make a variety of upgrades to Sinatra Drive between 4th Street and 11th Street and the project will include: milling and paving of the roadway, safer pedestrian crossings that will improve access to the waterfront, a physically separated bikeway, ADA-compliant curb ramps, and drainage improvements.

Upon completion of the project, Hoboken’s Green Circuit will be continuous along the Hudson River waterfront from Pier A all the way to the 14th Street Ferry terminal.

“As chair of the Transportation and Parking subcommittee, I continue to be supportive of replacing and redesigning roads to be more pedestrian, cyclist, and car friendly,” added 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo.

“Thank you, Mayor Bhalla, for advocating for this state funding to improve Sinatra Drive.”

“I am grateful to the NJDOT for investing funding into making these key improvements to Sinatra Drive to make it safer for residents to travel along our waterfront,” noted Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour.

“I am most excited to see the improved safety elements and upgraded bike pathway so that pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages can feel a greater sense of security.”

Additional streetscape improvements may also be incorporated into the project after the City engages in a public planning process. To that end, the city is preparing a request for proposals for design engineering, which will be released in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, project planning and design are expected to commence in early 2022.