Hudson County Officials Break Ground at Hoboken Cove

One more step in connecting Hoboken to Weehawken and completing the walkway along the Hudson County waterfront was made on Monday morning as Hudson County officials broke ground at the Hoboken Cove, located close to the intersection of Garden and 15th Streets. 

In about a year, it should be possible to walk, jog or bike from Hoboken to Weehawken, said County Exectuive Thomas DeGise. The walkway in question at the cove is about 800 feet long. 

"The goal is to have Mayor Zimmer get on her bycicle and have her go all the way up there to the George Washington Bridge," DeGise said.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the city was at risk of losing $1 million in funding for the project. She said she is proud her administration "moved quickly" in guaranteeing those funds. "The project stood still, quite frankly, for five years," said Zimmer. 

Council members Ravi Bhalla and Beth Mason were also present. 

There will also be a boat house at the site, which will open up the area for recreational water activities, said Zimmer. 

The mayor said also that the project received about $5.6 million from the state to finish the entire project (the walkway and the park). But, she added, "we're looking to secure more funding."

The site of 1600 Park will be completed with money from the Hudson County Open Space Trust, of which $2 million was used to buy that space. 

The county has stepped in to make sure the project gets completed, said DeGise. The county executive also called the walkway at the cove an important "gap" along the waterfront that needs to be fixed. 

"It connects two cities on the rise," DeGise said. The completion of the waterfront is also an effort to increase the safety in the area, DeGise said. 

"We've been dealing with it for 30 years," said Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner about completing the walkway. "Some day you'll be able to go along the entire Hudson County waterfront."

Hudson County Sherrif Juan Perez also attended the ground breaking and said he remembers that Hoboken Cove was "a yukky place" growing up. "It's going to be an excellent place now," he said.