Jersey Avenue repaving starts Oct. 14 with overnight lane closures; Grove Street goes one-way, full closure pushed to Nov. 2

HOBOKEN / JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Drivers heading between Jersey City and Hoboken should plan for overnight lane closures on Jersey Avenue starting next week. Work to repave the road from 14th Street in Jersey City to Harrison Street in Hoboken will begin on or about Wednesday, Oct. 14, weather permitting, the two cities announced Friday.

At the same time, the state’s full closure of nearby Grove Street for the Rebuild by Design Hudson River flood project has been pushed back to on or about Nov. 2, so Jersey Avenue can be finished before detoured traffic shifts onto it.

Overnight construction will generally take place between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. to limit daytime disruptions, the cities said.

What commuters need to know

• On or about Oct. 14: Grove Street partially closes and becomes one-way southbound only, for work on Jersey Avenue and the Rebuild by Design project.
• Starting on or about the evening of Oct. 14: The Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority will do overnight sewer work on Jersey Avenue. Between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., Jersey Avenue will be open to northbound traffic only. It will fully reopen during the day.
• Week of Oct. 19: Jersey City will do overnight paving on Jersey Avenue between 14th and 18th streets. Northbound traffic stays open; southbound traffic will be closed.
• The following week: Paving moves north of 18th Street, again keeping northbound traffic into Hoboken open.
• On or about Nov. 2, 8 a.m.: The full closure of Grove Street in both directions takes effect.

All dates are approximate and depend on the weather, officials said.

What’s being done

The project includes utility connections, milling and paving, and new striping meant to improve safety and traffic flow. The cities said Jersey Avenue, a main connection between Hoboken and Jersey City, has a road surface that “has reached the end of its useful life,” and that new pavement markings and better visibility will make the corridor “safer and more predictable.”

The resurfacing was originally to stop at 18th Street in Jersey City. It was extended to the Hoboken border at Harrison Street through work between Mayor James Solomon, Mayor Emily Jabbour, both city administrations, the Hudson County Executive’s Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the owner of the property next to the road, according to the release.

The cities said the repaving has to be done before Grove Street fully closes, because more traffic will detour onto Jersey Avenue once it does. Hoboken, Jersey City, Hudson County, NJDEP, the Hoboken and Jersey City police departments and the Port Authority Police Department are coordinating to keep access to and from Hoboken open during construction. The full Grove Street closure will wait until the Jersey Avenue work is done.

What officials said

“This is what good regional collaboration looks like: each partner doing what they can to solve a problem that affects people in both cities,” said Hoboken Mayor Emily B. Jabbour. “Hoboken is just one square mile, so every gateway into and out of our city matters. We know construction is disruptive, which is why I am grateful to be working closely with Jersey City, the NJDEP, the County, and the adjacent property owner to make the necessary improvements to Jersey Avenue and get it fully restored without effectively cutting off access to southern Hoboken.”

“We are finding practical ways to address shared challenges and deliver for residents in Jersey City and Hoboken,” said Jersey City Mayor James Solomon. “Our partnership is helping get Jersey Avenue the repairs it needs while minimizing disruptions for residents and commuters in both cities. I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Jabbour on improvements that make a difference for the people who live, work and travel between our communities.”

“Investing in safety improvements for our vital roads is a wise investment in the quality of life of our residents,” said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy. “Jersey Avenue is an essential connection between Hoboken and Jersey City, and I’m proud to work alongside our municipal and state partners to deliver these much-needed upgrades for the people of those two cities, and everyone who travels through Hudson County.”

“This stretch of roadway desperately needs repaving,” said Gregory Dell’Aquila, CEO of JDA Group, which owns the property next to the road. He said unfinished utility work at the company’s property could have delayed the repaving or forced crews to reopen the new pavement later. “Mayor Emily Jabbour and Mayor James Solomon came together quickly and reached out to us as the adjacent property owner to coordinate a solution. Because of that effort, the utility work can now be completed before the street is repaved, avoiding another round of disruption,” he said.

More information on the Rebuild by Design project is on NJDEP’s project page, and Hoboken posts construction updates at hobokennj.gov/construction.

Have a traffic tip or photo from the work zone? Email tips@hudsontv.com.