Final Report

Jersey City/ Hoboken Subregional Study Final Report

Project Overview

Both Jersey City and Hoboken are preparing redevelopment plans for the area east of the Palisade Cliffs in the vicinity of Paterson Plank Road near the shared border between the two cities. Once redeveloped, the low-density commercial area will become a residential neighborhood consistent with the character of adjacent neighborhoods.

Currently, the street grids of Jersey City and Hoboken conflict with each other in this area. Paterson Plank Road is often gridlocked due to heavy traffic volumes and poor road geometry.

This project, the Jersey City/Hoboken Subregional Transportation Study, aims to make recommendations to improve connectivity for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. These recommendations will support the anticipated growth that will result from the implementation of Hoboken and Jersey City’s redevelopment plans.

The Study Area

The study area is in the vicinity of the border between Hoboken and Jersey City. The Palisade Cliffs divide the study area into two sections, one on the cliffs and one at the foot of the cliffs.

The portion of the study area atop the Palisades is in Jersey City and is bound by Palisade Avenue to the west, Franklin Street to the north, Paterson Plank Road to the east, and New York Avenue to the south. This area is in the Heights neighborhood of Jersey City and is an older residential neighborhood.

The portion of the study area at the foot of the Palisades is in both Hoboken and Jersey City and is bound by Paterson Plank Road (in Jersey City) to the west, 2nd Street (in Hoboken) to the north, Willow Avenue (in Hoboken) to the east, and 18th Street (in Jersey City) to the south.

Click here for a map of the study area (PDF, 5 MB).

Project Purpose

The purpose of the project is to identify recommendations to improve the connectivity of the street network between the Jersey City and Hoboken in the vicinity of Paterson Plank Road.

Goals and Objectives

The study goals include:

• Improving the connectivity of the street network
• Improving vehicular mobility for local and regional traffic
• Enhancing non-automotive modes of travel and transit
• Ensure fair, meaningful, and effective public outreach and participation in the planning process

How the Study was Performed

To inform the process, the Study team conducted extensive data collection in the area including collection of information on demographic data traffic volumes and transit ridership, an inventory of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and amenities, as well as planned projects and policy initiatives from the County and municipal departments and transportation agencies that provide service to the study area.

It is critical to the success of the study that stakeholders, such as you, were involved throughout the process. As such, the Study Team held public meetings in both Jersey City and Hoboken.  These meetings will included active participation of those in attendance.

The boards presented at the public meetings, which included road reconfigurations, bike routes, diversion routes, and new traffic signalling are available here. (PDF)

For a summary of both the Hoboken and Jersey City open houses please click here.

The Study Team

This Study is sponsored by Hudson County with guidance and support from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA); the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which includes representatives from relevant agencies and local officials; and the consultant team, composed of Eng-Wong, Taub (Prime Consultant), Howard/Stein-Hudson (Stakeholder Outreach), SHP (Travel Demand Modeling), and AKRF (Environmental Justice and Civil Engineering).