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. The project study area has the following approximate boundaries: the Hudson River to the east; Baldwin Avenue (in Weehawken) to the north; the Palisades to the west; and 18^th Street, Washington Boulevard, and 14^th Street (in Jersey City) to the south, with the Resist structure construction limiting the boundaries to the area along Lincoln Harbor Road in Weehawken, Washington St in Hoboken, and 18^th St in Jersey City. 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 while seamlessly blending the project’s structures into the fabric of the project area by incorporating benches, planters, and murals (artistic, educational).

Current Construction Status:

The Resist contract is the second phase of the RBDH project. The construction contract was awarded to E.E. Cruz & Company, Inc. (Cruz) on July 31, 2023. Cruz began exploratory work with test pitting to locate underground utilities at the end of October and is expected to continue these operations through early December. Construction of the flood wall is expected to begin in January 2024.

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 Resist 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
RBDH Fact Sheet – English | Español

Completed 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 $6.7M in construction costs. The SSM contract separated portions of the Combined Sewer Outfall system in Hoboken into separate stormwater and sanitary lines to ensure that water from a storm surge event will not be able to surcharge under the Resist structure once 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.

Project Overview:

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Rebuild by Design (RBD) competition in the summer of 2013 to develop ideas to improve physical, ecological, economic, and social resilience in regions affected by Superstorm Sandy. The competition sought to promote innovation by developing flexible solutions that would increase regional resilience. The proposed project was one of the competition’s six winning concepts; it was developed with the goal of reducing frequent flooding due to storm surge, high tide, and heavy rainfall. HUD awarded $230 million to the State of New Jersey for the Project in the municipalities of Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City. Since this award, the NJDEP has obtained additional funding for the continued advancement of the RBDH project, including grants from FEMA and the American Rescue Plan (ARP).