Hoboken will replace approximately 4,800 linear feet of water mains on the city’s west side as part of the next phase of its Water Main Replacement Project.
The project, which launched in 2018 and finished it’s first phase in 2020, aims to upgrade the city’s water infrastructure, with 13,000 linear feet of water mains being installed since then.
The newest phase of the project is scheduled to begin this year, which will include new water mains, service lines, curb to curb resurfacing, and “complete” street improvements. The upgrades will take amongst 11 blocks at the following:
- Grand Street from 3rd Street to 8th Street
- 7th St from Grand Street to Adams Street
- Adams Street from 8th Street to 9th Street
- 8th Street from Adams Street to Jefferson Street
- Madison Street from 4th Street to 6th Street
- Jefferson Street from 1st Street to Newark Street
The city said that the recent improvements, alongside their 2019 contract with Suez Water, have resulted in fewer water main breaks and an improvement in residents’ quality of life. They cited having a total of 12 water main breaks last year, which they say is almost half the total of water main breaks in 2020, and is less than the 34 water main breaks that occurred in 2013.
“Over the past few years, we’ve made historic investments in our water main infrastructure, and the numbers speak loud and clear: less water main breaks, savings on emergency repairs, and concrete plans for more upgrades on 11 more blocks,” said Mayor Ravi Bhalla in a statement. “We will continue to prioritize Hoboken’s underground infrastructure to protect our quality of life, after decades of neglect.”
The city said that they have applied for low-interest loans from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank for the improvements and will not utilize funding from the 2022 municipal budget.
Hoboken completed the the first phase of the project after beginning construction in late 2019, where they replaced nearly 7,000 linear feet of water mains over 15 blocks. They also installed new water mains along Washington Street as part of the Washington Street Redesign Project.
To “further ensure high-quality service,” the Hoboken Water Utility is currently developing a city-wide initiative to verify pipe materials and implement a lead service line replacement program. The program, which will be finalized by July, will seek to replace all lead services lines in the city by 2031, at a rate of at least 10 percent of known lead service lines per year.
The HWU will also be launching a rate study with engineering firm CDM Smith, “seeking to account for future critical water infrastructure investments and to stabilize consumer rate increases” after the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority increased the costs of bulk water by nearly 13 percent.
Because of the increases, the Hoboken City Council recently approved an ordinance to increase the city’s water fees by about seven percent, which will mean an estimated increase of $14.98 for the average quarterly bill for a family of four.
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