Officials Pleased With Road Re-Opening

City and County officials took the first steps on the newly renovated part of Sinatra Drive at 12th Street on Friday afternoon,

Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise promised that the new road—reinforced by steel piles and a steel platform—will last a hundred years. "This will stand the test of time," DeGise said, as he walked over the brandnew roadway.

The sidewalk along the road is still under construction and will have to be completed by Applied Housing, which is the owner of that property.

The old piles holding up the road were timber, explained Joseph Glembocki, the assistant county engineer. He said the construction happened quickly than with other projects. DeGise , helping to speed up the process.

This winter was one of the worst winters ever, Glembocki said, making construction a little more difficult.

The cost of the project ended up being about $500,000 more than planned, Glembocki said, partly because the piles that needed to be installed were longer than initially expected. The total cost—covered entirely by the county—ended up being about $2.8 million.

The steel piles should last much longer than the old wooden construction, Glembocki said. Mayor Dawn Zimmer, happy that the road re-opened on Friday, said that the county had some smaller problems with the road before the .

"I'm just thankful nobody got hurt," Zimmer said.

Second Ward Councilwoman Beth Mason said she's happy to see the road repaired. She said she didn't know when the sidewalk will be completed.

Local businesses suffered from the road closure. Lua, a restaurant located on Sinatra Drive, closed its doors because it lost too much business. Zimmer said she hopes that Lua will find a way to re-open.