A dark, wet, garbage and rubble strewn section of Coles Street is getting an upgrade.
Mayor Steven Fulop, along with Councilmembers James Solomon and Yusef Saleh, announced today that work on improvements to the Coles Street underpass, running from 10th to 14th Streets will begin in April. On Thursday, the Jersey City Municipal Council approved the work.
According to a press release, the project will “completely renovate the area to create a safe, clean, lighted passage between Hamilton Park and the Holland Gardens neighborhood with pedestrian walkways and protected bicycle lanes. The underpass renovation will also make more open, community space under 12th St. and include separated sewers to reduce water pollution.”
“The councilmen have worked closely with us to prioritize this improvement project to help connect neighborhoods near Holland Gardens, the Embankment House, and the other side of 12th Street near the Holland Tunnel entrance with a new bikeway, reconstructed sidewalks, utility upgrades, and safety improvements,” said Fulop.
Solomon said that “the redevelopment of the Coles Street underpass is a critical step in building a more resilient, more open, and more pedestrian-friendly Jersey City.”
Harkening back to his days as a student at McNair Academic High School, Saleh called the stretch of road “a no-man’s land, neither friendly to cars or pedestrians.”
The area was briefly spruced up in 2021 by the Jersey City Mural Festival but it has now returned to the dinginess Saleh remembers.
Construction is set to begin in April and last through 2024.