Back in June, a sinkhole opened up on Sinatra Drive in Hoboken. Since the 4th of July was only a few short weeks away at this time (and the City was gearing up for the first Macy’s fireworks on the Hudson County side of the Hudson River in 10 years), barricades were put up along certain areas of the waterfront as a precaution suggested by engineers. In the middle of August, these barriers still resided on Sinatra Drive, and locals were wondering why. It was then revealed that the barriers would be staying for a while as engineers came to the conclusion that certain areas required further investigation for potential repairs. Now, we have an update on these waterfront barriers and when locals can expect them to come down. Read on for updates on the barriers on the Hoboken waterfront.
Photo Credit: Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher
What We Know
The Hoboken Girl received an influx of DMs in the middle of August, asking why the waterfront barricades were still up on Sinatra Drive in Hoboken — almost two months after they were put up ahead of Hoboken’s 2024 4th of July festivities. Hoboken Councilwomen Tiffanie Fisher and Emily Jabbour shared the latest updates on this project with us in August.
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Per Councilwoman Fisher, the City of Hoboken hired engineers to do preliminary reviews of the majority of the waterfront after the sinkhole occurred, and barriers were put up in areas that required further investigation for potential repairs. While there were no confirmed damages in those areas at the time the barriers were put up, the City was erring on the side of caution to keep residents safe.
In order for these barriers to come down, the City needed one of two things: the repair of any further damage that is found, or confirmation that the barricaded areas were no longer a concern.
Councilwoman Jabbour told HG in August that “The City is taking seriously the need to do a complete and thorough marine engineering assessment of the waterfront area, and most especially in the section of Sinatra from 7th to 9th Street where the sinkhole happened.” She also mentioned that the hope was to have all of the information collected in the coming weeks, so that the City can propose a plan of action to address any needs by around mid-September. Councilwoman Fisher also echoed that the City was actively working on solving this, and that Ironstate/Applied Development was conducting an analysis of the affected areas.
A Nixle alert from July 25th provided an update on the situation.
On Monday, November 4th, Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher provided another update on the barriers via her newsletter:
“We’re getting closer to removing the barricades near the Shipyard Dog Park, while the ones on Sinatra Drive near the skate park will stay up a bit longer due to the larger scale of work needed. Here’s where things stand:
- Shipyard Park Barricades: The final hurdle is an engineering sign-off by Applied/Ironstate, which could happen any day now. Once that’s done, we’ll see these barricades come down.
- Sinatra Field to Sinatra Drive North Barricades: This area requires a significant repair and restoration effort. Although it may have seemed inactive, preliminary work has been ongoing. Next week, the city’s engineer will begin an in-depth assessment, including borings, to evaluate the existing conditions and develop the repair design. The design phase is expected to wrap up by January, with repair work following soon after.”
Councilwoman Fisher said that the goal is to complete repairs by summer 2025, but mentioned that there may be delays — especially since work in the water is restricted during migration seasons.
Residents can check the City’s construction updates page for further updates on the waterfront barriers. We will update this piece as more information becomes available.
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