Jersey City Breaks Ground on Historic Downtown Special Improvement District Pedestrian Plaza Expansion

During a Monday morning press conference and groundbreaking, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop was joined by members of the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District (HDSID) and business owners to announce an expansion of the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza.  Beginning immediately, a $6.7 million upgrade will take place, to be completed by late summer, on a project enhancing the plaza with lighting, street pavers, additional curbside parklets where restaurants can expand their outdoor dining capacity and more benches and trash receptacles.

The pedestrian plaza on Newark Avenue, east of Jersey Avenue, first began in 2015.  It shuts down the street to vehicular traffic, allowing for a pleasant pedestrian walkway which adds to foot traffic for local businesses to thrive.  The plaza expanded three years later to a second block and even more last year during the pandemic.

The project is being paid for using capital funds according to the Mayor, long term bonds if you will so as not to put an undue strain on the budget.

Steven Kalcanides, the owner of Helen’s Pizza, said the project is six years in the making and couldn’t come at a better time.