14th Street (Hoboken)

County Route 670 marker

County Route 670
14th Street/Viaduct
Route information
Length: 0.7 mi[1] (1.1 km)
Highway system

County routes in New Jersey

The 14th Street Viaduct and Wing Viaduct connecting Hoboken, Union City, and Jersey City Heights

Fourteenth Street in uptown Hoboken, New Jersey carries the Hudson County designation County Route 670. The eastern end is the Hudson River while its western portion is known simply as the 14th Street Viaduct. It is at the northern end of the city's urban grid, and one of the east–west streets that allows for two-way traffic. Weehawken Cove is two blocks to the north.

The Viaduct

The four lane,[2] 14th Street Viaduct begins at the intersection of Willow Avenue, and travels perpendicular to the Hudson Palisades in Union City. It ascends to connect to the Wing Viaduct, designated CR 683,[3] which runs along the face of the cliff. Portions of the massive retaining wall were originally parts of the North Hudson County Railway's Hillside Line. At its summit the south wing becomes Paterson Plank Road in Jersey City Heights, while the north wing rises to Manhattan Avenue and Mountain Road. Just north of its lower end is the Willow Avenue Viaduct, which travels over the Hudson Bergen Light Rail and serves local as well as Lincoln Tunnel-bound traffic.[4][5][6]

The 1,460 foot-long Viaduct was constructed in 1908, and provided a road for horses and carriages. It is estimated that that Viaduct carries approximately 20,000 vehicles daily.[4][7] It does not have a designated bike lane, but does include a sidewalk and small shoulder on its southern side.[2]

Plans were unveiled for improvements to the area beneath the bridge on September 7, 2010, which include a dog run, playground, raised sidewalks and narrower streets for improved pedestrian safety, a block of active recreation space with a multi-use court and two blocks of multi-purpose space that can be used for farmer's markets and other community purposes. The plans also include the closing of east-west blocks of South Marginal Street to vehicular traffic, which was already done with the street in front of the Clearview Cinemas that opened just south of the Viaduct's span in 2009. The plans were part of a $55 million federally funded improvement project for Hudson County that was spurred by the 2007 collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[4][8][9] Limits on the reconstruction were imposed by the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office, due to the structure's historic significance. The restoration of the Viaduct is also attributed as the cause of the increased development in the area of Washington Park in Union City and Ogden Avenue in Jersey City, which to which South Wing of the Viaduct lead via Manhattan Avenue. Projects are also being developed at the foot of the Viaduct, including retail and residential construction, and at other areas near the Viaduct that were previously occupied by manufacturing and warehousing facilities.[4]

The renovation's completion was delayed by Superstorm Sandy, but nonetheless completed before the revised, post-Sandy deadline of August 2014. A ceremony was held on July 7, 2014 to mark the completion of work on the Viaduct. Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Senator Robert Menendez, and several other mayors and dignitaries were to be on hand to celebrate the completed renovation. The completed viaduct opened on July 21,[7] though some elements of the renovation were to be completed past this date, such as wi-fi-connected security cameras above and below the structure, accessible by the police departments of Hoboken, Union City and Jersey City, as well as the Hudson County Sheriff's office.[10]

Bus

New Jersey Transit operates bus routes 22, 89 (to North Hudson) 119 and 126 (to Port Authority Bus Terminal) along the street.

14th Street Ferry

A ferry had been located at the foot of 14th Street for many years, and was later replaced by Bethlehem Shipyard drydock.[11] In 2009 service was restored. Operated by New York Waterway, daily service runs to the West Midtown Ferry Terminal, with some trips via Lincoln Harbor, and the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hudson County 670 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  2. 1 2 Davis, Carlo (July 27, 2014). "Bridge open!" The Union City Reporter. pp. 3 and 4.
  3. ↑ "Hudson County 683 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Sullivan, Al (January 19, 2014). "Road to success?". The Union City Reporter. pp. 1 and 9.
  5. ↑ Hudson County New Jersey Street Map. Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2008. ISBN 0-88097-763-9.
  6. ↑ "24th Street Viaduct specifications". Bridgehunter.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Ceremony in Hoboken on Monday will celebrate 14th Street Viaduct completion". The Hudson Reporter. July 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Design For Under-Bridge Plan For 14th Street Viaduct Unveiled". City of Hoboken, NJ. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Replacement of the 14th Street Viaduct over Conrail and Local Streets". 14th Street Viaduct Replacement. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Al (October 26, 2014). "Somebody's watching you", The Union City Reporter. p. 3.
  11. ↑ "Hoboken Shipyards". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Lincoln Harbor/Weehawken". NY Waterway. Retrieved January 23, 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 40°45′14″N 74°01′48″W / 40.754°N 74.030°W / 40.754; -74.030

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