Expansion of Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza Breaks Ground

We might be in Jersey City, but everything can still change in a New York minute.

Less than 30 days after publicly announcing plans to expand a pedestrian plaza along Newark Avenue, crews were hard at work yesterday installing changes along the road. The work involves shutting the street down for most vehicles and expanding the existing car-free zone westbound to Jersey Avenue.

Mayor Steven Fulop announced on Twitter late Sunday night that the work was imminent and was spotted yesterday along the plaza during the conversion. Ward E Councilman James Solomon, who supports the plaza’s expansion, was on site as well. New planters have already been installed and the trademark green paint officially adorns Newark Avenue, plus a block-long portion of Bay Street.

Additionally, the process has begun to convert the block of Barrow Street between Columbus Drive and Newark Avenue into a one-way northbound road. Decorative street paint will eventually adorn the intersection of Newark Avenue and Barrow Street, but cars will still be allowed to utilize the roadway to turn up Erie Street. Drivers should expect road closures throughout the week as the work is ongoing.

Plans for the expansion include increasing furniture along the stretch and a new playground area that will be coming to the block between Barrow Street and Jersey Avenue. The green paint version of the plaza is considered a pilot program that will run throughout the summer, but a more permanent and higher-end version should be coming later this year.

Mayor Fulop tweeted yesterday that in the fall, the city plans to “raise” the street and create what the mayor dubs a “proper plaza we all envision.” He declined to elaborate on the details, but he used the word resurfacing in his tweet, perhaps suggesting that the original cobblestones of Newark Avenue could soon be making a comeback.