Zimmer meets with Sires, Menendez & Booker over street redesign project

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer met with federal legislatures including U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8), U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) this week to discuss a multi-million dollar redesign project for Washington Street – one of the main roads in the Mile Square City. 

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Zimmer joined over 30 Mayors from across the country to advocate for long-term transportation and infrastructure funding at the Congressional level on Wednesday, her office said in a statement.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), the current federal transportation authorization bill, is set to expire on May 31st.

Zimmer and the bipartisan coalition of mayors participated in the effort to persuade Congress to renew this funding for another six years as part of Infrastructure Advocacy Week.

In addition to meeting with Menendez, Booker and Sires to discuss the need for long-term transportation and infrastructure funding, Zimmer briefed Congressional representatives on Hoboken’s Washington Street Complete Streets Redesign to request their support for this important project.

“If we as a nation and a State truly want to create more jobs, grow our local economies, and improve the quality of life for our residents, then we must stop with the lip service and start taking action by investing in our transportation infrastructure, a critical component of the ecosystem for job growth,” Zimmer said in a statement.

“Now, more than ever, Congress and our State must act to ensure we have the necessary resources to invest in our public transit systems, roads and bridges.”

“In Hoboken, we are continuing the process of improving our own infrastructure with the Washington Street Complete Streets Redesign, and I thank Senator Menendez, Senator Booker, and Congressman Sires for meeting with me so they can understand the importance of this project to our region.”

The City of Hoboken is preparing a $14 million grant application to rehabilitate and resurface Washington Street through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program.

Hoboken recently completed a community-based planning process to redesign Washington Street and enhance and improve safety, comfort, enjoyment, and function for all users.

The project will also replace century-old water mains and add a fiber optic spine and electrical conduit to advance the City’s microgrid project for energy resiliency and facilitate enhanced Internet connectivity.

Residents can learn more about the project and how they can support the City’s federal grant application by visiting www.hobokennj.org/washingtonstreet.