The City of Hoboken today began Park Avenue construction to upgrade aged water mains between Third and Fourth Streets and Fifth and Eighth Streets and starting next week, the City will replace the water main on Castle Point Terrace from Eighth Street to Elysian Park. The upgrades are part of the City’s comprehensive water main replacement program to update the City’s aged drinking water infrastructure. Once the City's 2023 water main upgrades are complete, the City will have replaced over 4.78 miles of water mains since 2018, representing approximately 11.6 percent of Hoboken's water system.
"As we continue with these crucial water main replacement projects, we are taking a proactive step towards preventing future water main breaks and enhancing the reliability of our water service,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “By upgrading these centuries-old, neglected pipes to larger, modern ones, we are increasing the durability of our infrastructure so that we can meet the demands of our growing community and provide our residents with the reliable water service they deserve."
Park Avenue construction
Over the next three months, construction crews will replace approximately 1,900 linear feet of 6-inch water main with 1,900 linear feet of 8-inch ductile iron pipe as well as replace fire hydrants and water service lines along Park Avenue.
Construction is scheduled to take place on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Parking will be prohibited during working hours, and traffic detours are expected. The Hoboken Police Department will manage traffic flow at intersections during construction.
Hudson County will be performing curb-to-curb restoration at the completion of the water main replacement project in 2024.
Castle Point Terrace upgrades
Starting the week of July 24, the City of Hoboken will upgrade the water main on Castle Point Terrace from Eighth Street to Elysian Park. The Hoboken water utility will replace about 950 linear feet of 6-inch water main with new 8-inch ductile iron pipe and replace fire hydrants and service lines. Parking will not be permitted during construction and traffic impacts will be managed by the Hoboken Police Department. Following construction, the road trench will be temporarily paved with asphalt. The existing brick will be stored for future use as determined through the upcoming public planning process for the road's redesign. The Castle Point Terrace Redesign project, which will seek to upgrade the road while maintaining its historic character, is expected to launch before the end of the year.
Additional water main improvements
By the end of the month, the City will also begin to upgrade water mains at six other locations throughout the City including:
By 2034, the City anticipates replacing an additional 5 miles of water mains and, once construction on these upgrades is complete, the City will have replaced a fourth of the City’s aged water system infrastructure at a rate two times the American Water Works Association’s recommendation for system repairs.
The upgrades to the City’s drinking water infrastructure are made possible due to a renegotiated contract with Veolia in 2019. Under the contract, the City will invest at least $33 million in water infrastructure upgrades through 2034 at an average of $2.2 million in water investments per year. Under the previous 1994 contract with Veolia, then United Water, the company was not obligated to make any proactive investments to upgrade the water system as the $350,000 set aside for this purpose only covered the cost of repairs.
For weekly construction schedules, go to www.hobokennj.gov/construction.
For more information on the City’s water main infrastructure upgrades, go to www.hobokennj.gov/resources/drinking-water-infrastructure-upgrades-phase-1.
