Rebuild By Design - Hudson River

Rebuild By Design (RBD) takes a multi-faceted approach to improve physical, ecological, economic, and social resiliency. It was initiated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2013 in response to Superstorm Sandy. Two RBD projects are ongoing in New Jersey: Rebuild By Design Meadowlands and Rebuild By Design Hudson River.

RBD Hudson River (RBDH) will be built throughout the City of Hoboken, and will extend into Weehawken and Jersey City, with the following approximate boundaries: the Hudson River to the east; Baldwin Avenue (in Weehawken) to the north; the Palisades to the west; and 18th Street, Washington Boulevard and 14th Street (in Jersey City) to the south. The goal of the RBDH project will be to address flooding from major storm surges and high tides as well as from heavy rainfall events.

Current Construction Status:

The Sewer Separation Modification (SSM) contract was the first phase of the Rebuild By Design Hudson River (RBDH) Project. The SSM contract was awarded in January 2021 and was completed in July 2022 for approximately $7M in construction costs. The SSM contract separated portions of the Combined Sewer Outfall system in Hoboken to ensure that water from a storm surge event will not be able to surcharge under the Resist structure once it’s constructed. SSM work included sealing over 100 existing manholes, as well as the installation of: over 30 additional manholes, 40 catch basins, over 4,000 linear feet of stormwater pipe, and 8 water quality units to remove solids and suspended solids prior to the storm water entering the Hudson River.

The Resist contract is the second phase of the RBDH project and construction will start in 2023.. The Resist contract area is defined by two distinct locations. The first is the North work zone, which encompasses northern Hoboken and parts of Weehawken; the second is the South work zone, which is comprised of southern Hoboken and parts of Jersey City. Some of the major components to be completed as part of the SSM contract are listed in the following bullets:

Constructing over 9,000 linear feet of varying height reinforced concrete floodwalls
Installing 28 floodgates including rolling floodgates, swinging flood gates, and stoplog barriers.
Incorporating urban landscape architectural elements affixed or adjacent to the floodwall, such as seating, planters, lighting, educational signs, etc.
Improving Harborside Park (to be renamed Cove Park)