Bar Guide Launched for Jersey City

JerseyCityBarGuide.com, a new, locally operated bar guide has been launched online, promising comprehensive reviews and claims to present more information than existing guides. We're not amused. But we have to admit the site looks sharp. Cheers, JerseyCityBarGuide, you win this round.

Corzine's Scissors Only Obstacle to Pedestrian Bridge

The Long Slip Pedestrian Bridge is ready to go except for one thing: a ceremonial ribbon cutting including Governor and candidate for re-election Jon Corzine. The much delayed connection between Jersey City and Hoboken was suppose to open in the in the Spring of this year; unexplained delays then pushed the opening date to August.

The Long Slip Pedestrian Bridge is being built by NJ Transit and will connect from the Hoboken Terminal to the Newport neighborhood in Jersey City. According to Newport Associates, their segment of the walkway in the northern quadrant is ready to open, and they are simply waiting for NJ Transit to open the bridge. NJ Transit however, has refused to comment on the expected "completion" date.

Over the weekend, a brief Q&A between the New York Times and Newport CEO James LeFrak revealed the new expected opening date is sometime in September, to be accompanied by an appearance of Jon Corzine.

Trees Slaughtered for Stone Circle

Back in March, the city cut down a half dozen trees on the corner of Newark and Jersey Avenue. The 18 inch diameter trees weren't sacrificed for nothing; the city is replacing the decades old trees with a circle of Belgian Blocks.

Barrow and Wayne Street Construction

Bodega Takes Up Former Pharmacy Location

Hamilton Park's Newport Pharmacy moved across the street earlier this year into the new Hamilton Square development. A new bodega is replacing the vacated space on 9th and Erie Streets.

Hamilton Park Renovations

The Hamilton Park renovations continue to progress. Seen above is the landing port for flying saucers. Actually though, that labyrinthine pile of concrete should eventually become a community garden. The Park plans are available here (PDF).

Medical Office Tower

The medical offices are currently being constructed on Jersey Avenue next to the Jersey City Medical Center.

Toy Store Replacing Bookstore

Jack's Toys and Games appears to be replacing the recently closed Imagine Atrium, a semi-literate bookstore and gift store that closed earlier this year. The Jersey Avenue location is between Columbus Drive and Newark Avenue.

The Columbus Highway in Pictures

While the city maintains that the Columbus expansion project is nothing more than a "streetscape improvement", the project requires removing existing curb extensions to make way for the minimum 9 foot wide travel lanes being added. What this means, explained in pictures:

Monmouth Street and Columbus Drive

Removing the curb extension at Monmouth street to convert parking into a travel lane also widens the distance between curbs-- making pedestrian crossings more treacherous.

Varick Street and Columbus
The Same thing is to happen at Varick Street.


Columbus Drive at Rush Hour.


Say goodbye to all that sweet residential parking.

Jersey City Post Offices Survive First Round

The US Postal Service has been losing money. The constitutionally required agency plans on cutting service branches to save money. Jersey City and Hoboken are not on the list of proposed cuts (PDF), but several in Newark as well as a branch in Battery Park are.

This list is of course preliminary, and no doubt beltway politics will play be taken into account before any closures actually happen.

Last year the Lafayette post office closed in Jersey City for security reasons, and never reopened.

Fulop Organizes Second Rally Against Corruption

Tuesday, August 4th, Ward E councilman Steve Fulop is organizing national night out rally on the steps of city hall to protest Jersey City's municipal corruption. National Night Out is a national anti-crime movement. In light of recent arrests within city government, Fulop is turning attention to the crimes of elected officials. The rally kicks off at 6pm on the steps of city hall.

City Plans Highway Through Downtown

Residents hoping for a freshly paved Columbus Drive may be dismayed to learn they will soon be losing a valuable parking as the city prepares to expand the roadway into a five lane highway. The city intends to realign Columbus Drive with six lanes of traffic; during rush hour, parking would be prohibited on one side of the street to create three lanes of traffic in one direction, and two in the opposite direction.

The expansion project will extend as far east as Warren Street. The current taxi cab stand on Columbus drive will displace metered parking on Grove Street and extend onto Wayne Street. Resident and meter parking along Columbus will be eliminated during rush hours. The city plans one widening the roadway during the repaving process by removing existing curb extensions, trees, and eliminating parking spaces. Parking will be prohibited on the eastbound side of the street during the mornings and the westbound side of the street in the afternoons. In effect, residents will be unable to park on Columbus during the day unless they can move their cars between the morning the evening rush. Enforcement will be coordinated by the East District police. Further expansion to full time six lane roadway will need the approval of the city council.

The expansion of the roadway will also send traffic onto local residential streets such as Jersey Avenue and Erie Street; Erie is already known to be hazardous because of high traffic volumes. The city contends improvements to signal timing, resin crosswalks, and new handicapped ramps will compensate for the wider distance pedestrians have to cross the busy street.

The city received a state grant to cover the cost of the repaving the street as far Jersey Avenue. According to Councilman Fulop, the grant does not require realigning the roadway.

Last year, the city doubled the capacity of Grand Street to the chagrin of residents who have lost parking along the street. The road is now four lanes at all times; resident contend the wider roadway presents a danger to pedestrians, particularly because city officials refuse to activate a new traffic light at Barrow Street.

The city insists adding a lane of traffic is not an expansion but merely a cosmetic streetscape project. Typically,a 1% percent increase in travel lanes results in an increase of traffic volume by .9% within 5 years.