FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10th, 2024
CONTACT: Karina Diaz, Hudson County Executive’s Office
PHONE: 201-369-4386
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Following the Board of County Commissioners resolution supporting studying solutions to accommodate all users of the 14th Street viaduct, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy released the following statement:
“First, I commend the Board of County Commissioners for passing this resolution unanimously. Hudson County is working every day to make our roads safer for bikers, pedestrians, and motorists. We must review studies, analyze traffic patterns and pain points, align our plans with state and federal regulations, and take other measures to responsibly and safely implement options that benefit all.
We appreciate advocates’ support for more immediate construction of bike lanes – in fact, it’s our goal to make as many of them happen as possible – whether on the 14th Street viaduct or in other locations, but Hudson County cannot deviate from the process, steps, and standards mentioned above. We are committed to efforts to make roads safer and even more accessible to bikers, but to cut corners and ignore national safety guidelines is irresponsible and could result in harm to members of our community.
Let me highlight what we are looking into in two specific locations right now:
As part of the engineering phase to reconstruct the Manhattan Avenue wall, we are investigating the option of connecting Union City to the 14th Street viaduct with a bike lane. Public meetings will be held in the coming months to look into the feasibility of potential bike lanes along Manhattan Avenue and connecting to the viaduct.
Currently, Hudson County is partnering with Hoboken to launch safety improvements to Willow Avenue, which could include bike lanes, crosswalk visibility enhancements, and other traffic calming improvements. We must keep in mind that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) sets guidelines for roads like the 14th Street viaduct, which is why we have commissioned an engineering study to explore installing a protected bike lane that meets AASHTO guidelines.
We have heard the community’s concerns about safety on our roads and the need for more bike lanes, which is why I have been so adamant about undertaking our Vision Zero initiative. We’re looking for input from all stakeholders — bike advocates, neighbors, community leaders, businesses and elected officials — to lessen and eliminate all motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries. Making our streets safer will require comprehensive plans, numerous strategies and policies, and partnerships between the government and our community. We hope that you will continue to work with us to make our streets the safest they can be.”