City of Hoboken announces safety and traffic improvements in southwest; residents invited to public meeting

The Bhalla administration, in partnership with Hudson County, will launch the third phase of the Southwest Traffic and Safety Improvement project next month. The upgrades proposed will improve multi-modal safety and further alleviate traffic congestion in Hoboken’s southwest neighborhood. This project is the latest in Hoboken’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths as well as serious injuries by 2030.

Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla invites residents to attend a virtual community meeting on Thursday, March 7, at 6 p.m. to provide feedback and learn more about the proposed traffic signalization upgrades at 14 intersections.

Other improvements that will be discussed during the virtual meeting include:

• New vehicle detection technology with the ability to automatically adjust signal timing based on real-time traffic conditions when needed
• Installation of wireless cellular communications between the traffic signals and Hudson County Engineering's office
• Advanced traffic signal system technology software for remote monitoring and control of traffic signal timing
• Upgraded traffic signal controllers

To register for the meeting on the signal upgrades, go to https://www.hudsoncountyhobokensignalsystem.com/home.

Vision Zero Improvements in Southwest Hoboken

The Southwest Traffic and Safety Improvement Project was initiated in 2017. Since then, the City has implemented new traffic circulation patterns, signal timing upgrades, and installed curb extensions, bike lanes, and multi-way stop control to improve access and road safety.

“Our Vision Zero efforts in Southwest Hoboken have not only made our streets safer for our most vulnerable users, including children and seniors, but have also achieved substantial reductions in travel times and alleviated traffic congestion,” said Mayor Bhalla. “Thank you to the many partners who have worked with my administration to make these important quality of life upgrades possible, including Hudson County, the Hoboken City Council and New Jersey Transit.”

Most recently, the City installed a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) at Paterson Avenue and Jackson Street, which gives pedestrians a six-second head start crossing Paterson Avenue before vehicles turning left from Jackson Street receive a green light. LPIs have been shown to reduce pedestrian-vehicle crashes by approximately 60 percent.

Despite a 15 percent increase in traffic volumes since 2019, these improvements have led to a reduction in vehicular travel times by up to 40 percent and helped reduce injuries by 59 percent.

The completed upgrades to traffic and safety that have already been implemented include:

• Three new traffic signals on Observer Highway at Harrison Street, Jackson Street, and Madison Street
• Traffic signal upgrade at Jackson Street & Paterson Avenue
• Striped curb extension installed at Paterson Avenue & Harrison Street
• Concrete curb extension installed at Marshall Street & Second Street
• Bike lane and on-street parking added to Marshall Street
• Multi-way stops added to Marshall Street & Second Street, Harrison Street & Second Street, and Jackson Street & Second Street
• Substantial improvements to light rail signal interconnection to reduce delays at Hudson Bergen Light Rail crossing
• Curb ramps upgraded for ADA compliance and high visibility crosswalks added throughout project area