Will the City Repave Washington Street?

The administration is asking the Hoboken City Council to approve a bond to pay for the repaving of Washington Street. 

The roughly $1 million bond ordinance is supposed to "begin the process of upgrading and modernizing the entire length of Washington Street, including repaving the road, installing modern traffic signals with pedestrian countdown timers, and installing ADA-compliant crosswalks and ramps," according to the city's announcement. 

The bond is on the agenda for Wednesday night's meeting. 

In total, the project will cost about $9 million, which means that a second bond at a later time will have to be approved. Once a completed plan is in place, the city will try to apply for grants and other ways to pay for the project. 

The approximately $1 million bond would also pay for the design and improvements to Sinatra Drive between 4th Street and 11th Street, to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety along the waterfront. 

The bond also covers the city's obligation to secure federal funding for The City of Hoboken has $2 million in federal funding to improve Observer Highway and $240,000 in federal funding to improve Newark Street between River Street and Washington Street.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer said in the release that repaving Washington Street will "benefit our local economy, improve pedestrian safety, and make Hoboken more inviting to everyone."

For the bond to pass, at least six council members need to approve the ordinance. The council minority has not been approving any bonds for a long time.

The five majority members will likely vote to approve the bond. 

"I think I have heard from various political corners that Washington needs to be repaved," said Council President Ravi Bhalla. "This seems like the most logical way to do it other than raising taxes."