Weehawken has debuted a new pier designed by McLaren Engineering Group and RSC Architects. — Courtesy: McLaren Engineering Group/Roy Wright
By Joshua Burd
A pier that stretches nearly 500 feet into the Hudson River has opened in Weehawken, replacing a structure just north of Hoboken that had been destroyed nearly 15 years ago.
The $3.1 million project was designed by McLaren Engineering Group in collaboration with RSC Architects, the engineering firm said in a news release. The pier sits directly opposite the Empire State Building, but its signature feature is a “pod” design made up of a series of platforms and interconnected walkways.
The nonlinear design is meant to provide a variety of destination points for visitors.
“McLaren developed the groundbreaking new ’pier pod’ design concept, and we believe it’s a bold, revolutionary new way to construct piers compared to traditional box-like configurations,” Shea Thorvaldsen, director of infrastructure and marine at McLaren Engineering Group, said in a prepared statement. “Because there is no heavy structure, a pier designed this way is much cheaper to build and offers the ability to expand easily.”
The property is located northeast of the intersection of Washington Terrace and Harbor Boulevard, bordering a two-acre waterfront park. Overall, the pier includes five pods connected by 10-foot-wide walkways and ranging from 700 to 2,500 square feet in size, each designed for a specific use.
For instance, one pod offers launch space for kayakers, while a raised hexagonal pod is designed for viewing the city and the surrounding waterfront. Other pods are designed for fishing and educational visits.
“People love going out 400 feet in the river to take in stunning views of the George Washington and Verrazano bridges,” Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said. “McLaren was great to work with and we were happy that the project came in with no additional costs and it’s designed to withstand the weather of the area.”
McLaren Engineering Group, in collaboration with RSC Architects, provided marine structural design, surveying, environmental permitting and aesthetic design for the concrete waterfront pier, the news release said. The West Nyack, New York-based firm added that the new Weehawken Recreation Pier has undergone rigorous testing to ensure its stability and longevity.
