Washington Street Redesign

In alignment with its “Complete Street” policy and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, the city of Hoboken embarked on a planning effort to redesign Washington Street and enhance and improve safety, comfort, enjoyment, and function for all users. The city also sought to incorporate green infrastructure and low impact development strategies (i.e., shade trees, rain garden curb extensions, porous asphalt, etc.) to reduce stormwater run-off, urbanized flooding, and the urban heat island effect, as well as improve the ecological value of the corridor through a “Green Streets” approach.

As part of the redesign effort, MFS (formerly GEOD) performed an existing conditions survey of nearly 9,000 linear feet of Washington Street including 50’ up all side roads. This was accomplished via aerial photogrammetric mapping with supplemental field edit surveys to show features not visible in the aerial photography. Using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic locating equipment, MFS performed subsurface utility mark-out services to locate and note utilities, and any anomalies (sidewalk vaults/voids) along the project corridor. The data was then compiled into a base map showing the location of all above ground structures, pavement and topographic features, and location of all underground utilities and anomalies.