City To Receive $80G For Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Hoboken secured $80,000 from the Transportation Trust Fund to improve the Hudson Place walkway. The city will now receive a total of $160,000 for the project. The city announced the extra funding through a press release from Spokesman Juan Melli.

Hoboken was awarded the money through the New Jersey Department of Transportation's Safe Streets to Transit program to improve the sidewalk along Hudson Place near the PATH entrance, according to the release.

The funding has not been used yet.

Director of Transportation and Parking Ian Sacs said the money hadn't been used yet, because the previous administration probably wasn't aware of the award. 

After realizing that $80,000 would not be enough to successfully complete the plan, the city prepared submitted a proposal to the state for additional funds. The original plan was to reconstruct the existing 8-foot sidewalk and build a fence on the south side of the street similar to the north side, thereby eliminating pick-up and drop off activity along Hudson Place, Sacs said. 

According to Sacs, the full $160,000 will be used on the project. The plan includes a wider sidewalk on the South side of the street, shortened street crossing distances and expanded sidewalks at the crosswalks that are adjacent to the PATH headhouses.

Improvements to drainage and street surfaces will also be necessary to complete the plan, said Sacs. 

"Due to the pending expiration of the original $80k," Sacs wrote in an e-mail, "we are planning a two phase implementation; Phase 1 is planned for construction in the Fall of this year." Sacs did not have a specific date for the second phase yet, but said it'd be "shortly there after."