The PATH station in Hoboken is set to close for a month of repair work before midnight Thursday, with alternative transportation being offered to some 20,000 users of the PATH rail transit system.

“It’s inconvenient, but I understand that improvements need to be made,” said Lynetta Presley from Jersey City.

“We understand that it’s going to be painful for our customers. Hoboken is one of our main terminals,” said Clarelle DeGraffe, director of PATH at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

DeGraffe said major renovations will include replacing tracks and switches in a system built almost 117 years ago and hit hard by Superstorm Sandy.

The latent salt damage caused by Sandy “is beginning to show its wear on the system. So it’s critical that we replace the switches and the tracks in this area,” DeGraffe said.

Construction plans include waterproofing walls, stabilizing PATH cars and repairing stairways, part of a $430 million PATH capital improvement program. The agency decided to shut the Hoboken station for a month of intense work instead of spreading the pain over a year’s worth of weekends.

The Port Authority is offering several alternatives. NY Waterway will cross-honor PATH tickets, with expanded service during peak hours. Other alternatives include shuttle buses between Hoboken and Jersey City PATH stations at Newport and Exchange Place; more PATH trains leaving from Newport and Exchange Place. There will be additional service on Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, as well.

The Port Authority chose to do this work in February because it’s one of the PATH system’s least-traveled months.

More details on the construction plans and alternative transportation during the shutdown is available here.