The concept behind the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza will be heading west in the coming weeks as officials are hoping to activate the streetscape and better assist businesses amid COVID-19 restrictions.
Over the weekend, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop announced on Twitter that a stretch of India Square will be getting a new pedestrian plaza. The main area of focus will be two blocks of Newark Avenue between Tonnelle Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, a street that’s home to numerous Indian-centric grocery stores, restaurants, and shops.
“Great cities have great pedestrian spaces,” Fulop tweeted. “We’ve been studying traffic patterns and working with the merchants in India Square on how to re-imagine this area and make it more pedestrian friendly. It’s long overdue.”
The proposed changes would create plazas for dining along most of the southern part of Newark Avenue complete with barriers and planters to separate vehicles from diners. Four parklets would be installed under the plan, with three running along Newark Avenue and one situated on nearby Liberty Avenue.
A map of the revamp shows that 21 parking spaces would be eliminated under the changes. The redesign would also close Herbert Place to vehicular traffic and turn about half of that street into a pedestrian and dining plaza.
The changes will include flexible delivery space and are set to be implemented soon; the city says work on the plaza will commence on September 8 and Fulop announced in a tweet that the endeavor will be modified as needed.
The move is the latest Jersey City initiative to adapt their streets during the coronavirus era. Outdoor dining areas were significantly expanded near the Grove Street PATH station earlier this summer and over 45 restaurant parklets are up and running throughout the city.
Fulop claimed in a separate tweet earlier this month that the restaurant parklets are working “remarkably well” and added that some of them will become permanent when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
