In flood-prone NJ city, workers paved the storm drains shut

HOBOKEN — As the flood-prone city headed into a very rainy Tuesday night, Hoboken was dealing with an unfortunate mistake by contractors who did repaving on local streets.

Drains were paved over, as reported by HobokenGirl, sharing photos of the botched work.

Hoboken Councilman shared paving photos (Paul Presinzano 1st Ward City Councilman via X)

Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla called the mess-up “completely unacceptable” and traded terse words on social media with Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, a fellow elected Democrat.

Guy said responded on Tuesday: “Any mistakes made by the county contractor have been – and are being – remedied."

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The torrential rains arrived and there was flash flooding, but it had quickly eased out, as seen in photos shared by Hoboken Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante. “Instead of the days it used to take, water now recedes in hrs. Now start the prep for Debby,” Ferrante said in a post to X, tagging Hoboken Office of Emergency Management.

Hoboken Councilman shared paving photos (Paul Presinzano 1st Ward City Councilman via X)

“Hudson County officials first received notice of two clogged sump drains on Park Avenue on Friday, August 2; this issue was resolved by Monday, August 6,” Guy said in a written release.

He added a report of a separate clogged drain was made and resolved Sunday.

County staff and contractors have also cleaned out catch basins along Park Avenue, removing contractor’s millings and trash.

“Today, I visited the site and spoke with residents who were impacted by this project. They were thankful for the County’s immediate response and efforts to address their concerns,” Guy said.

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