For anyone wondering, the tragedy referenced here is the death of two JC police officers. From the Wikipedia entry:

On December 25, 2005, two Jersey City police officers died while on duty after their rescue vehicle plunged into the river from the bridge. Shawn Carson and Robert Nguyen were summoned by colleagues to bring additional flares to the western approach to the bridge to better regulate traffic. Extreme weather conditions had caused poor visibility, and the gate that normally lowers when the bridge is in the open position had been malfunctioning for some time. The officers drove across the bridge and delivered the flares. They did not know that the lift span had then been raised, and as they were making their return trip, their vehicle went over the edge of the open bridge. While the body of Carsen was recovered approximately 90 minutes after the accident, that of Nguyen was not found until December 29. After an investigation the bridgetenders were cleared of any wrongdoing in January 2006. According to the NJDOT, the barrier was experiencing continuous problems due to an earlier accident, and the agency was waiting for replacement equipment to do repairs. Unsatisfied with the agency's findings, the Jersey City Police found that the NJDOT, knowing that there were problems, should not have relied on local police for public safety. A new barrier gate was eventually installed in June 2006. On May 9, 2007, the New Jersey Legislature adopted a joint resolution designating the crossing the "Shawn Carson and Robert Nguyen Memorial Bridge".

If you cross this bridge on the sidewalk or drive slowly, you will see the sign honoring them. https://imgur.com/o3ypwkD.jpg

Had not heard of these folks. Looks like a fun podcast. Thanks for the tip!

Do you have any insight into how the bike/pedestrian path on the Wittpen will eventually be laid out? It's so hard to tell from the contract documents, but I've been over it on foot and bike a couple of times and it seems like they will have everyone on the sidewalk on the South side of the bridge? Or will there be a barrier-protected bike lane too?

Well, I guess we all sorta naively thought the tenants were the customers. Turns out there's a separate market here in Jersey City where the tenants are the assets and the asset buyers are the customers. There's still a market out there where tenants are customers, and these price-fixed buildings may still be easing the pressure on the supply in THAT market.

I have no inside information, and I have only the faintest idea how this works, but this would be a defense you'd expect against allegations of collusion, no?

Seems likely. That's a lot of people coming to the neighborhood on a daily basis. They could sustain some new restaurants and bars. But I bet the size of the effect sort of depends on if the building has a cafeteria and other services built in.

Well, technically, I was on foot on the sidewalk. But it was cool to see it up close!

Okay, I think I see what is happening. The main interesting addition to the street and bike infrastructure will be the extension of Monmouth street. https://imgur.com/HRtJzuR.jpg Current situation is like this: https://imgur.com/KwSH5DW.jpg

Fascinating! And thank you so much for weighing in! How many people are staffed on this bridge during operating hours? Does it take more than one person to safely operate it? I had no idea this bridge was so disruptive to so many commuters. With a two hour call time, would you be able to precisely establish clocks/electronic counting down to openings on the approach to these bridges or even send the data to Google Maps/Waze in real time? If river traffic is set to increase, this could be pretty helpful.

Maybe? I barely drive anywhere if I can avoid it, so I'm still surprised by traffic stuff sometimes. But yeah, odd that this was the first time in like 6 years of JC dwelling.

Yeah, it was a good reminder that it's a drawbridge. I sometimes run in Kearny during lunch and don't always leave myself much time to get home for afternoon meetings! I could easily get stuck on the Kearny side.

Every now and then I've noticed lights on in there and wondered how it is staffed. Is there someone in there 24/7? Can we get an AMA for one of the operators?

Yeah, it was kind of cool to see. I was hoping there'd be a more dramatic ship passing through, but it was just a tug boat.

I wasn't there for the initial lift. I was out for a run and got there towards the end. Traffic was substantially backed up though. I bet it was at least 20 minutes. The Wikipedia entry doesn't say how long a lift typically takes, but apparently it has often averaged more than one lift per day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Highway_Hackensack_River_Bridge?wprov=sfla1

It's got to be getting pretty close! It's a pretty remarkable landmark in the neighborhood.

It would be nice if they made the connection between Pacific and the path through Berry Lane park, at least. In my experience, these days, drivers can't really get up much speed on most stretches of Communipaw, so it feels a little less dangerous.

Great addition to the network!

Liberty Science Center seems to be holding up pretty well.

I always thought the previous place was a little overrated, but I'm a huge fan of Cellar 335 and trust that team to make this place a great destination!

Wow, this is a thoughtful thread! Thanks for all this insight into production in JC and the region. I had no idea...

Hey, people make painful trade offs in their lives all the time. It sounds like you're not considering moving closer to this job. Why not? I'm just sharing the perspective that I, personally, would not consider a job change that required me to get a car. Apart from just hating to drive and feeling my life drain away any time I am spending time looking for parking, owning a car can add significantly to your financial risk. What if my car is impounded? What if someone steals my catalytic converter or slashes my tires? Do I have the funds to fill that gap on hand?

Agree. This would be a great project!