On June 15, the city of Hoboken, N.J., restarted installation of the first phase of its water main replacement project, which will replace a total of 15 blocks, or 7,035 linear ft. of Hoboken's oldest water mains.

Other upgrades include service lines to the curb box, curb to curb resurfacing, green/grey infrastructure, and complete street design.

Construction on the eight segments of the project began in September 2019 but was paused from March through May due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four segments of the water main rehab were finished by that time.

Now, with work again under way, the city anticipates the remaining four water main segments will be completed in September. The $33 million project is funded through low interest loans from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank) and does not use monies from the 2020 Hoboken municipal budget.

There are more than 41 mi. of water mains in Hoboken. The age ranges of most of the pipes are from over 100 years ago until this year's work stoppage.

As a result of the aging pipes, Hoboken has long suffered from water main breaks and flooding. Pressure fluctuations, vibrations and seasonal changes in temperature, which often cause the cast-iron pipes to become brittle, can cause breaks. Just this past winter, city residents and businesses suffered several damaging water main breaks.

When the installation work was halted in March, more than 4,500 linear ft. of new 8-in. ductile iron water main had been installed and 150 service lines replaced as part of Phase I of the project, the city said.

Last July, the city entered into a new contract with the city's water management provider, SUEZ North America, that aimed to facilitate upgrades. Under this 15-year contract, the city receives the $33 million in revenue to make system-wide infrastructure rehab through 2034, with an average of $2.2 million in water investments per year.

The Hoboken construction activities this summer include the following:

• Bloomfield Street between Second and Fourth Street the week of June 15 for installation of approximately 1,000 linear ft. of new water main, followed by pressure testing and sampling of the new segment.
• Garden Street between 12th and 14th Street for the placement of 810 linear ft. of new water main.
• Monroe Street between 3rd Street and 4th Street — approximately 950 linear ft.
• Monroe Street between 8th Street and 11th Street — approximately 1,400 linear ft.

Milling and paving will commence immediately following the completion of installation of the newest water mains, services, and hydrants. In total, the paving duration for the first four segments was two to three weeks, according to the city of Hoboken. It is anticipated that one city block per day can be milled and paved this summer, with traffic striping to immediately follow.

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