Sinkhole rips through Hoboken waterfront walkway
City officials say they discovered the sinkhole Friday night.
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The City of Hoboken is preparing to patch a sinkhole that caved in right along the popular waterfront pier.
City officials say they discovered the sinkhole Friday night.
Although passersby took a few double-takes, they say it’s not shaking their confidence walking the pier.
The sinkhole spans a few parking spots along Frank Sinatra Drive. City officials say this doesn’t deter them from ongoing plans to improve the waterfront.
“We’ve been looking at a lot of infrastructure issues on the waterfront, but this will be a new one,” said Councilman Phil Cohen. “A look at the video suggested that the water had eroded the underpinning, but that’s just my naked eye.”
Marine engineers and divers inspected the pier’s safety on Saturday morning.
“We had to check the structural integrity of the underpinnings to make sure that it wasn’t more extensive,” Cohen said. “They did not limit their search to just that area - the area we are at was searched, and uptown and downtown as well.”
The city also deemed the rest of the road stable for cars to drive over - even if it means a few less parking spots in the meantime.
“The roadway next to it is safe and fenced off, so people will not have a problem enjoying our waterfront,” Cohen said.
The city says repair work will begin on Tuesday and will shut down the area from Seventh to Ninth Streets in the coming weeks.
