New Jersey

[Alps]

Kinda surprising they would even consider adding a lane there. The bottleneck northbound during rush hour is the Plainfield Ave. light in Edison

Considering I lived near that light for 20 years, that bottleneck will be there forever. That or they can demolish half the neighborhood, which will never happen.

Looking at it, I see that you could widen into the Rite Aid parking lot without ruining the business - they have a satellite parcel to the SW they could add parking to to meet requirements, which they would never fill. You would have to close the Exxon driveways, or at least the one in and reconfigure the one out. (Come in off Craig, NBD.) So a NB lane looks feasible in the medium term. The SB side is metered by upstream signals but still gets congested, but I don't see a ready solution on that side. You also can't widen 24' to the east without killing a couple of businesses. Still, a couple of businesses != an entire neighborhood.

[jeffandnicole]

Unfortunately, NJDOT never published an updated 5 or 10 year TIP forecast this year, and last year's 10 year TIP forecast doesn't allude to anything in regards to Route 1 - both for this overpass and anything in the immediate area.

The FY18 TIP should be out for review soon.

[storm2k]

Kinda surprising they would even consider adding a lane there. The bottleneck northbound during rush hour is the Plainfield Ave. light in Edison

Plenty of traffic coming in from Rt 18 in that area heading to Edison/Woodbridge/The Malls. Still, without addressing some of the bottlenecks up the road, basically between 514 and nearing 287, it might not help much.

[roadman65]

It took years for them to do something about the Ford Avenue bottleneck near the GSP in Woodbridge Twp.  I lived near that intersection and I remember the nightmare it was before the highway was finally six laned back in 2009. 

The problem with NJ was money.  At that time when I was living there in the late 80's the US 1 & 9 Elizabeth River viaduct in Elizabeth, the US 1 & 9 bridge over NJ 35 in Woodbridge, and quite a few other bridges in the state were on the waiting list to be replaced, but even had to wait as look how long those were acted on.  Heck, there are many NJ two lane roads that need to be widened twenty years ago that probably never will get widened, because there are other projects that need addressing first.

You may be in for a long wait to see NJDOT act on the said Plainfield Avenue intersection like the Ford Avenue situation when I was there from 87 to 90 and it finally being done 20 years later from that point as that intersection was a nightmare most likely since the early or mid 1970's.

[storm2k]

It took years for them to do something about the Ford Avenue bottleneck near the GSP in Woodbridge Twp.  I lived near that intersection and I remember the nightmare it was before the highway was finally six laned back in 2009. 

The problem with NJ was money.  At that time when I was living there in the late 80's the US 1 & 9 Elizabeth River viaduct in Elizabeth, the US 1 & 9 bridge over NJ 35 in Woodbridge, and quite a few other bridges in the state were on the waiting list to be replaced, but even had to wait as look how long those were acted on.  Heck, there are many NJ two lane roads that need to be widened twenty years ago that probably never will get widened, because there are other projects that need addressing first.

You may be in for a long wait to see NJDOT act on the said Plainfield Avenue intersection like the Ford Avenue situation when I was there from 87 to 90 and it finally being done 20 years later from that point as that intersection was a nightmare most likely since the early or mid 1970's.

While the reconstruction at Ford Ave helped, it hasn't fixed the huge line of traffic coming off the Parkway. That can back up almost to 27 some days. Unfortunately, Route 1 isn't really suited for the major commuter corridor it has become over the years.

[lepidopteran]

Olga's diner is being torn down, sad to say.   This was a longtime fixture on the southern end of Marlton Circle (NJ-70 and NJ-73, now converted to more of an interchange).  Many of NJ's traffic circles had/have a diner on them, or at least nearby.



Olga's Diner Demolition 061617 by John, on Flickr

[jwolfer]

Olga's diner is being torn down, sad to say.   This was a longtime fixture on the southern end of Marlton Circle (NJ-70 and NJ-73, now converted to more of an interchange).  Many of NJ's traffic circles had/have a diner on them, or at least nearby.



Olga's Diner Demolition 061617 by John, on Flickr

I remember earing breakfast there on trips from Florida back to Pt Pleasant Beach via Route 70.. My dad would drive overnight.  My brother and i were 8 and 9 or so and we thought the name was so funny!

LGMS428

[Roadrunner75]

Olga's diner is being torn down, sad to say.   This was a longtime fixture on the southern end of Marlton Circle (NJ-70 and NJ-73, now converted to more of an interchange).  Many of NJ's traffic circles had/have a diner on them, or at least nearby.

Sad - I was really hoping someone would reopen it. 

[roadman65]

It took years for them to do something about the Ford Avenue bottleneck near the GSP in Woodbridge Twp.  I lived near that intersection and I remember the nightmare it was before the highway was finally six laned back in 2009. 

The problem with NJ was money.  At that time when I was living there in the late 80's the US 1 & 9 Elizabeth River viaduct in Elizabeth, the US 1 & 9 bridge over NJ 35 in Woodbridge, and quite a few other bridges in the state were on the waiting list to be replaced, but even had to wait as look how long those were acted on.  Heck, there are many NJ two lane roads that need to be widened twenty years ago that probably never will get widened, because there are other projects that need addressing first.

You may be in for a long wait to see NJDOT act on the said Plainfield Avenue intersection like the Ford Avenue situation when I was there from 87 to 90 and it finally being done 20 years later from that point as that intersection was a nightmare most likely since the early or mid 1970's.

While the reconstruction at Ford Ave helped, it hasn't fixed the huge line of traffic coming off the Parkway. That can back up almost to 27 some days. Unfortunately, Route 1 isn't really suited for the major commuter corridor it has become over the years.

No that will always be a mess. Edison has grown over the years. Its a shame that the power lines can't be put underground and a freeway be built next to the existing arterial.

[jeffandnicole]

Olga's diner is being torn down, sad to say.   This was a longtime fixture on the southern end of Marlton Circle (NJ-70 and NJ-73, now converted to more of an interchange).  Many of NJ's traffic circles had/have a diner on them, or at least nearby.

Sad - I was really hoping someone would reopen it. 

Olgas was great for decades...my cousin's grandmother was a waitress there's for many years. Who knows...she could've even served one of you at some point!

However, it had been in decline for several years, and when the state started getting serious about doing something with the circle, the owner of the diner found a scapegoat...claiming that the meer thought of construction (which was a few years away at minimum) was discouraging customers from going to his diner!  He closed down about a year prior to the actual reconstruction of the circle to an interchange.

[storm2k]

It took years for them to do something about the Ford Avenue bottleneck near the GSP in Woodbridge Twp.  I lived near that intersection and I remember the nightmare it was before the highway was finally six laned back in 2009. 

The problem with NJ was money.  At that time when I was living there in the late 80's the US 1 & 9 Elizabeth River viaduct in Elizabeth, the US 1 & 9 bridge over NJ 35 in Woodbridge, and quite a few other bridges in the state were on the waiting list to be replaced, but even had to wait as look how long those were acted on.  Heck, there are many NJ two lane roads that need to be widened twenty years ago that probably never will get widened, because there are other projects that need addressing first.

You may be in for a long wait to see NJDOT act on the said Plainfield Avenue intersection like the Ford Avenue situation when I was there from 87 to 90 and it finally being done 20 years later from that point as that intersection was a nightmare most likely since the early or mid 1970's.

While the reconstruction at Ford Ave helped, it hasn't fixed the huge line of traffic coming off the Parkway. That can back up almost to 27 some days. Unfortunately, Route 1 isn't really suited for the major commuter corridor it has become over the years.

No that will always be a mess. Edison has grown over the years. Its a shame that the power lines can't be put underground and a freeway be built next to the existing arterial.

If they were local lines, maybe, but they are the high tension distribution lines coming from the Seawaren generating station. The Conrail overpass on the Parkway right before 130 doesn't help either since they can't build a longer aux lane for traffic trying to get off there. I do feel like doing away with the Ford Ave light would be super helpful, but there isn't room for an overpass and it's not likely they would be willing to wall off the intersection.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Let's be realistic. NJDOT worked their brains off to improve the Ford Avenue (CR 648) light in 2007. The way it is currently designed is probably the way it will be for the next 40 years. The Lafayette Road ramp helped a little bit on the pressure of the light, but it is so underused.

If NJDOT wanted to do something radical that would help traffic flow, raise Route 1 at Parsonage Road and have the ramp go under Route 1, eliminating that traffic light. All you would need to do otherwise is request some of Romano's parking lot for a new ramp to US 1 south.

[jeffandnicole]

If NJDOT wanted to do something radical that would help traffic flow, raise Route 1 at Parsonage Road and have the ramp go under Route 1, eliminating that traffic light. All you would need to do otherwise is request some of Romano's parking lot for a new ramp to US 1 south.

At that point, might as well cut off access completely here to/from Rt. 1 North.  Direct traffic to the existing interchange just south of this intersection, and widen the roadways around and behind the shopping center.  That would be fairly similar to what NJDOT did in the Princeton area at Nassau Park Blvd.

[Roadgeek Adam]

If NJDOT wanted to do something radical that would help traffic flow, raise Route 1 at Parsonage Road and have the ramp go under Route 1, eliminating that traffic light. All you would need to do otherwise is request some of Romano's parking lot for a new ramp to US 1 south.

At that point, might as well cut off access completely here to/from Rt. 1 North.  Direct traffic to the existing interchange just south of this intersection, and widen the roadways around and behind the shopping center.  That would be fairly similar to what NJDOT did in the Princeton area at Nassau Park Blvd.

That other interchange is a massive choke point. There would be a lot of eminent domain work needed for that. Parsonage Road serves other purposes besides Menlo Park Mall. I'd rather keep that open. We already have a similar design at Raritan Center.

[roadman65]

In 1990 when Simon Malls (if they owned it then) or whoever the landlord was then built the Menlo Park Mall interchange should have sprung for a Parsonage Road interchange with the mall renovation that was happening then.  The Macaroni Grill was not there and it was the defunct movie theater that is now inside the mall today.  They could have used that to add the ramps SB as LaFayette Avenue would be the SB off ramp as it is now the defacto jughandle anyway. 

IMO opinion NJDOT from the GSP to I-287 should have been all upgraded like NJ 17 was from Paramus to the NY State Line with all intersections replaced with interchanges back in the late 70's to mid 80's.

[roadman65]

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5245386,-74.2990635,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sWrhPAqaWmUy_ydw1qVTN2g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DWrhPAqaWmUy_ydw1qVTN2g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D118.81082%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is unbelievable!  Well anyway for a large green sign in NJ, as they never underscored a street name on them.  NJDOT always used them on little green signs, but never (except Route 495, only because of PANYNJ influence) on large signs.  Not knocking but just amazed that now large signs are being printed out like little ones.

[J Route Z]

Transportation Capital Program for FY 2018 published

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/capital/tcp18/tcp18.pdf

[SteveG1988]

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9411837,-74.9753059,3a,75y,306.25h,85.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh_mSsVm8W-u-fSnGDJ3ePA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

saw this, never noticed it before. Compliant NJ38 shield there.

[ekt8750]

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9411837,-74.9753059,3a,75y,306.25h,85.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh_mSsVm8W-u-fSnGDJ3ePA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

saw this, never noticed it before. Compliant NJ38 shield there.

Those have been up for a few months now. There's also a new one further up at the 73-90 split with unboxed shields for 73 and 90.

[storm2k]

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5245386,-74.2990635,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sWrhPAqaWmUy_ydw1qVTN2g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DWrhPAqaWmUy_ydw1qVTN2g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D118.81082%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This is unbelievable!  Well anyway for a large green sign in NJ, as they never underscored a street name on them.  NJDOT always used them on little green signs, but never (except Route 495, only because of PANYNJ influence) on large signs.  Not knocking but just amazed that now large signs are being printed out like little ones.

I actually don't mind this. It's a hell of a lot better than R8 does in NY with the street names in a box like it's a street blade. I actually liked how the Parkway used to do this in the NJHA days for some of the Essex County exits, where the street name was in thin all caps and the destinations were in mixed case thicker lettering, like at 147 and 151.

[bzakharin]

These at the US 30 / NJ 90 interchange have been around as long as I can remember (probably over a decade):
https://goo.gl/nEcEVv
https://goo.gl/WCsELx
I wonder if the NJTA was involved somehow since the Turnpike is on some of them

[ekt8750]

These at the US 30 / NJ 90 interchange have been around as long as I can remember (probably over a decade):
https://goo.gl/nEcEVv
https://goo.gl/WCsELx
I wonder if the NJTA was involved somehow since the Turnpike is on some of them

Those are DRPA signs (as evidenced by the Helvetica control cities). They don't usually box the state and US shields (although there are signs that do have the boxes, mainly on the Walt).

[jeffandnicole]

Turnpike has nothing to do with their shield on a sign, just like they would have no impact on Delaware signing the Turnpike, PA signing the Turnpike, etc.

[bzakharin]

Turnpike has nothing to do with their shield on a sign, just like they would have no impact on Delaware signing the Turnpike, PA signing the Turnpike, etc.

That is true, but is this interchange in DRPA jurisdiction? How much of NJ 90 is maintained by the DRPA? I've seen NJTA signs close to the turnpike, but outside the turnpike proper. Or at least I think I have.

[bzakharin]

I saw a bunch of new ones recently including on US 9 near Egg Harbor Twp. The ones I've seen are all full mile and not half, but that may just be an accident since none of the roads I saw them installed on are ones I travel for more than 1/2 mile. I do know that MM 12 on NJ 41 near where I live has not been replaced yet.

Update: just saw new mile markers 63.5 and 64 for US 40 in Atlantic City. Kind of surprised that US 322 wasn't also signed as they are always signed together on all signs I've ever seen on the entirety of the multiplex.