New Jersey Turnpike

[Pete from Boston]

NJTA has created a websites for the Exit 14A reconstruction: http://www.njta14a.com

Interesting.  You know what could use widening?, the western spur as it's only 2-lanes in spots.  Plus that whole area, including SB heading towards I-280, tends to bunch up during rush hour.

If I ever find the hours to scan it, I'll put up a c.1988 document detailing a proposed widening (dual-dual, I believe) of the Westerly Alignment, IIRC including a Route 17 extension.

[Steve D]

NJTA has created a websites for the Exit 14A reconstruction: http://www.njta14a.com

Interesting.  You know what could use widening?, the western spur as it's only 2-lanes in spots.  Plus that whole area, including SB heading towards I-280, tends to bunch up during rush hour.

If I ever find the hours to scan it, I'll put up a c.1988 document detailing a proposed widening (dual-dual, I believe) of the Westerly Alignment, IIRC including a Route 17 extension.

I posted some pictures of these a few years ago.

Link: 

[roadman65]

That is the million dollar question.  Why was the later built Western Spur only two lanes north of NJ 3?  If the older alignment was 3 lanes each way previously, then they should have built the western alignment as 6 lanes all the way considering that most of the through traffic was intended on using it.

Now you have an Eastern Spur with six lanes, not even needed, and a Western Spur with only 4 lanes that is way under capacity!

[Alps]

NJTA has created a websites for the Exit 14A reconstruction: http://www.njta14a.com

Interesting.  You know what could use widening?, the western spur as it's only 2-lanes in spots.  Plus that whole area, including SB heading towards I-280, tends to bunch up during rush hour.

If I ever find the hours to scan it, I'll put up a c.1988 document detailing a proposed widening (dual-dual, I believe) of the Westerly Alignment, IIRC including a Route 17 extension.

It was dual-dual and it does include the Route 17 extension, though the details of tying the extension into the 3 interchange were not shown (although it's obvious how it would have gone). I have rather good access to the record plans at my job, but unfortunately I can't release it to you. I can say that the NJTA is well aware of the need to widen the Westerly, and I'll leave it at this: yes, there are backups north of 16W due to the 2-lane section, but there are also backups across the Passaic River near the south end. Use your imagination as to the implications.

[Alps]

NJTA has created a websites for the Exit 14A reconstruction: http://www.njta14a.com

Interesting.  You know what could use widening?, the western spur as it's only 2-lanes in spots.  Plus that whole area, including SB heading towards I-280, tends to bunch up during rush hour.

If I ever find the hours to scan it, I'll put up a c.1988 document detailing a proposed widening (dual-dual, I believe) of the Westerly Alignment, IIRC including a Route 17 extension.

I posted some pictures of these a few years ago.

I checked your old post. Ultimately, the plans for the Westerly had the existing 16W with added ramps for the outer roadways, as opposed to creating a new 16W with a new parallel roadway (leading where though? 17? that would explain the lack of 15W-A). You got your hands on some other earlier document envisioning a different widening alternative.

[roadman65]

I remember the Star Ledger featured an article several times those years, and I do recall two plans of connecting the Turnpike with Route 17 directly and one of them even to be extended to I-280 as well.  One plan was considered to allow for the Berry Creek development as the reconfigured Exit 16W would allow for expansion to be used where the current Exit 16W Plaza is.

The ones that you Alps have stated and the other one Pete has found were both covered in the Ledger. 

[Alps]

I remember the Star Ledger featured an article several times those years, and I do recall two plans of connecting the Turnpike with Route 17 directly and one of them even to be extended to I-280 as well.  One plan was considered to allow for the Berry Creek development as the reconfigured Exit 16W would allow for expansion to be used where the current Exit 16W Plaza is.

The ones that you Alps have stated and the other one Pete has found were both covered in the Ledger. 

Never seen 17 connecting to 280. Source? I'd be very curious about that.

[NE2]

Not exactly I-280, but this 1941 map (not my scan, hence the incompleteness) shows a NJ 2 relocation north of NJ 7 (and an unknown route - 100? - along the NJTP alignment north of Newark):

[Alps]

Not exactly I-280, but this 1941 map (not my scan, hence the incompleteness) shows a NJ 2 relocation north of NJ 7 (and an unknown route - 100? - along the NJTP alignment north of Newark):

Straight down to 7, very interesting, and makes sense.

[roadman65]

I remember the Star Ledger featured an article several times those years, and I do recall two plans of connecting the Turnpike with Route 17 directly and one of them even to be extended to I-280 as well.  One plan was considered to allow for the Berry Creek development as the reconfigured Exit 16W would allow for expansion to be used where the current Exit 16W Plaza is.

The ones that you Alps have stated and the other one Pete has found were both covered in the Ledger. 

Never seen 17 connecting to 280. Source? I'd be very curious about that.

I would have to research the Star Ledger deeply.  This one was back sometime in the 80's.  I remember back then it was a big deal for a while and one plan did show it going as far as 280 with, I believe, a spur east into into the Turnpike to the east would connect to another proposed interchange between 15W and 16W.

Edit:  I in the meantime found some support of the idea from Steve Anderson here: http://www.nycroads.com/roads/NJ-17/  He not only has information to it going to I-280, but also your information about the proposed 3-3-3-3 widening with a new 15AW.

[ixnay]

Widening the western spur from Exit 16W on north is a long term plan.

Any timetable?

ixnay

[jeffandnicole]

While this story is specific to the turnpike, it's part of a larger crackdown in several states.

State Police set for 6-day crackdown on NJ Turnpike drivers

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/03/state_police_set_for_6-day_crackdown_on_nj_turnpike_drivers.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

...During a six-day period lasting until March 29, troopers will be extra vigilant in looking for speeding, distracted driving or aggressive driving, seatbelt enforcement and proper use of cell phones, State Police announced this morning. Separate patrols will have their eyes on violators driving large trucks and buses...

[PHLBOS]

While this story is specific to the turnpike, it's part of a larger crackdown in several states.

State Police set for 6-day crackdown on NJ Turnpike drivers

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/03/state_police_set_for_6-day_crackdown_on_nj_turnpike_drivers.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

...During a six-day period lasting until March 29, troopers will be extra vigilant in looking for speeding, distracted driving or aggressive driving, seatbelt enforcement and proper use of cell phones, State Police announced this morning. Separate patrols will have their eyes on violators driving large trucks and buses...

Great American Money-Grab, anyone?   

[Pete from Boston]

There was an announced DUI checkpoint on the Turnpike a few weeks ago.  They caught two people.  I'm not sure why they don't just set up right outside the Lincoln Tunnel at 4 a.m.  They'd certainly bag more than two.

[jeffandnicole]

New Jersey sues over Florida pizza shop logo

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority wants a Florida pizza shop to pay a big toll for using a logo similar to the Garden State Parkway’s green and yellow signs.

The lawsuit has been tossed out.  The article mentions there may be other lawsuits out there, but I won't be surprised that if there are, they'll be thrown out as well.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20150326_ap_dad6cbe0141440a8af53ddfc3ba62e61.html

[SignBridge]

Is this all the New Jersey Turnpike Authority has to worry about? This is what they pay their lawyers for? Unreal.........

[kkt]

Is this all the New Jersey Turnpike Authority has to worry about? This is what they pay their lawyers for? Unreal.........

Well, it's not like it was their own money they were wasting.

[Pete from Boston]

New Jersey sues over Florida pizza shop logo

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority wants a Florida pizza shop to pay a big toll for using a logo similar to the Garden State Parkway’s green and yellow signs.

The lawsuit has been tossed out.  The article mentions there may be other lawsuits out there, but I won't be surprised that if there are, they'll be thrown out as well.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20150326_ap_dad6cbe0141440a8af53ddfc3ba62e61.html

I wonder if something similar was behind the demise of this design that I liked but didn't seem to last long on Shop-Rite's New Jersey t-shirts rack:



(Blurred text reads "Born to run, second to none.")

[SteveG1988]

The Greenout covering the I-95 shields at exit 6 going north have come off, not all of it but you can see SOUTH 95 with the H kind of cut off, i was unable to get a decent photo, but i will try next time i go by it.

[PHLBOS]

I hope Maryland will start to include Philadelphia (and Wilmington) more-prominently on signs on I-95 northbound once the slow, slower and slowest Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission/PennDOT project to close the I-95 gap in Bristol is complete enough to allow drivers to follow I-95 north through Philadelphia and still reach New York and points beyond.

Since you mentioned Wilmington in your above-post, what's stopping Maryland from using that as a listed I-95 northbound destination today?   The core of the city is located just north of the I-95/295/495 split and has nothing to do whatsoever with the status of that I-95/PA Turnpike interchange.

As far as not listing Philadelphia on those signs; something tells me that even if the original I-95 (the Somerset Freeway in NJ) had been built, Maryland would've probably still use New York as a northbound destination for the simple reason being that most through-traffic to New York will still use I-295 and the NJ Turnpike (and bypass Philly) to get there.

OTOH, through-traffic to New England could've used I-95 through Philly along with the unbuilt-Somerset Freeway portion to I-695 (also unbuilt in NJ) to I-287 to bypass NYC and vicinity.

But I digress.

[storm2k]

Looks like things are finally moving on the reconstruction of the Grover Cleveland Service Plaza building. The old building has been torn down and right now it looks like they're finishing up with on site demo and remediation work so they can start to build the new building. That should only take a few months, I would imagine, so I'll bet the new building will be ready to go by the fall (that's the NJTA's goal, I would imagine to have it back before the holiday season which sees plenty of extra traffic on the Turnpike).

[jeffandnicole]

Looks like things are finally moving on the reconstruction of the Grover Cleveland Service Plaza building. The old building has been torn down and right now it looks like they're finishing up with on site demo and remediation work so they can start to build the new building. That should only take a few months, I would imagine, so I'll bet the new building will be ready to go by the fall (that's the NJTA's goal, I would imagine to have it back before the holiday season which sees plenty of extra traffic on the Turnpike).

It generally takes a standard house 60 - 90 days to be built.  I'd bet more along the lines of a year before this building is completed.

[02 Park Ave]

When the PA Turnpike redid their service areas they would shut them down the day after Labor Day and have them reopened by the following Memorial Day.  However, I believe that they were all major rehabs of existing buildings and did not involve any new construction.

[PHLBOS]

OTOH, through-traffic to New England could've used I-95 through Philly along with the unbuilt-Somerset Freeway portion to I-695 (also unbuilt in NJ) to I-287 to bypass NYC and vicinity.

But I digress.

NIMBYism hurts everyone

Agree with you 100%.

even though think the wider N.J. Turnpike north of Exit 6 was ultimately a better choice.

Many truckers would disagree with such and not just because of tolls.  The Somerset Freeway would've been a more efficient (i.e. closer) way to connect to many western NJ points as well as I-287 & the NY Thruway than the NJ Turnpike.  Such was why many trucks were using US 206 & NJ 31 as a means of going between the Trenton area and I-287.  Then-Gov. Whitman put that all to an end by prohibiting through-truck-traffic along those roads (those NO 102 prohibition signs popped up as a result of such).

But such is another topic for another thread.

[Mr_Northside]

When the PA Turnpike redid their service areas they would shut them down the day after Labor Day and have them reopened by the following Memorial Day.  However, I believe that they were all major rehabs of existing buildings and did not involve any new construction.

I'm pretty sure it's the other way around.  They've all been new, except for the EB Midway plaza, which was a rehab.