Hoboken Festival, Commute Could Be Impacted By NJ Transit Strike, Light Rail Outage: Mayor

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken's mayor gave advice to local residents on how transportation and this weekend's Hoboken Arts and Music Festival could be impacted by an NJ Transit strike.

NJ train service may stop this Friday due to failed contract negotiations between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

The transit agency has encouraged commuters to work from home if they can, and use mass transit for essential travel only.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla sent a message to Hoboken residents late on Tuesday, noting an additional transit complication: planned work on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system over the weekend may take some areas out of service.

And Hoboken is planning its Art and Music Festival this Sunday, which will still go on. READ MORE: 9 Musicians Will Perform At Hoboken Art And Music Festival

Bhalla gave advice on how to handle the strike and complications.

What To Do

Bhalla said, "Earlier today, I met with the heads of Hoboken’s Transportation Department, Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, Public Safety, and Administration to prepare for what may be a significant disruption to regional transit beginning this Friday."

He noted, "Additionally, NJ Transit and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection are planning to conduct construction that would necessitate a double-track outage in the northern section of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system throughout this weekend."

He said that if this work goes on as scheduled, 19th Street in Weehawken would be fully closed west of the HBLR track crossing, between Waterfront Terrace and the Hartz Mountain ramp, between 8 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. on Sunday.

"My administration asked for this work to be rescheduled so that HBLR service would continue uninterrupted during an already difficult weekend," he said, "and NJ Transit is reviewing this request based on the necessity of their planned electrical work."

NY Waterway issued a message late Tuesday saying they will increase service on their ferries if necessary.

“We’re closely monitoring the situation and are prepared to increase capacity and frequency of our ferry service between New Jersey and Manhattan based on demand,” said NY Waterway President and CEO Armand Pohan.

Hoboken Spring Arts and Music Festival

The Hoboken Spring Arts and Music Festival is slated for Sunday on lower Washington Street. That area is closed to cars during the festival.

"I strongly encourage everyone to attend and enjoy the day," Bhalla said. "However, we must also acknowledge that vehicle traffic will put added stress on our transportation infrastructure. To help alleviate congestion, I urge attendees to consider alternative ways of getting to the festival, including the PATH, Citi Bike, NJ Transit bus, and HBLR from unaffected areas. If these options are not available to you, consider carpooling or rideshare."

A rideshare drop-off zone will be located on the west side of Washington Street from Eighth to Ninth Street, Bhlala said. Parking will be extremely limited, and there is a gridlock advisory from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Canceling Summer Streets

To assist with circulation, Sinatra Drive Summer Streets is canceled this Sunday. Sinatra Drive will be open to northbound traffic between Fifth Street and Eleventh Street, Bhalla said.

The art and music festival usually draws as many as 30,000 attendees.

Check for updates at www.njtransit.com/railstoppage.