New Jersey Turnpike

[roadman65]

im referring to the ones on the turnpike north, past the 18E/18W toll plaza and Vince Lombardi rest stop

one says 80 west hackensack patterson, the other one says 95 north george washington bridge fort lee

I think they can be flipped to say "closed" and "all traffic" as needed, but of course, likely only during emergencies or some kind of MAJOR construction.

Did they ever get to removing Dover for I-80 west being Hackensack and Paterson are control points at the Express Local split?

[jeffandnicole]

The NJTA passed a $2.1 Billion Budget for 2021, by far the largest in history.  While traffic is expected to be lower due to COVID related reasons, revenues should be higher due to the recently passed toll increases.

So far in 2020, revenues are about $1.1 Billion, about $270 million less than forecasted.

Within a nj.com article (which I didn't bother linking as you need a paid subscription to read the entire thing), it stated "The biggest budget increase is the $1 billion capital budget, reflecting the toll increase that funds the first year of the authority immediate five year $5.2 billion capital improvement program. Of that, 84% would be spent on bridge reconstruction, paving and highway drainage. That is part of the authority's longer term $24 billion 20-year capital plan."

It did not state exactly which projects will be worked on next year, and glancing at the NJTA website, there aren't any updated documents which provides any details.  The pavement on several areas of the Turnpike is quite old, so good to see them working on that.  There are many bridges on both highways that are 40 - 60 years old, so some significant work is needed on them as well.

Of the widenings proposed, the widening from Interchanges 1 - 4 appears to be the easiest and least controversial (except for one person on these forums), so we may see those advance fairly soon...although I would suspect most of the work will be several years away.  If it's similar to the Interchange 6 - 9 widening, this project will be cut up to several contracts of several miles each.

[Alps]

The NJTA passed a $2.1 Billion Budget for 2021, by far the largest in history.  While traffic is expected to be lower due to COVID related reasons, revenues should be higher due to the recently passed toll increases.

So far in 2020, revenues are about $1.1 Billion, about $270 million less than forecasted.

Within a nj.com article (which I didn't bother linking as you need a paid subscription to read the entire thing), it stated "The biggest budget increase is the $1 billion capital budget, reflecting the toll increase that funds the first year of the authority immediate five year $5.2 billion capital improvement program. Of that, 84% would be spent on bridge reconstruction, paving and highway drainage. That is part of the authority's longer term $24 billion 20-year capital plan."

It did not state exactly which projects will be worked on next year, and glancing at the NJTA website, there aren't any updated documents which provides any details.  The pavement on several areas of the Turnpike is quite old, so good to see them working on that.  There are many bridges on both highways that are 40 - 60 years old, so some significant work is needed on them as well.

Of the widenings proposed, the widening from Interchanges 1 - 4 appears to be the easiest and least controversial (except for one person on these forums), so we may see those advance fairly soon...although I would suspect most of the work will be several years away.  If it's similar to the Interchange 6 - 9 widening, this project will be cut up to several contracts of several miles each.

I would imagine the money will go to a mix of construction and design. I don't know offhand which projects would be shovel-ready.

[fmendes]

The NJTA passed a $2.1 Billion Budget for 2021, by far the largest in history.  While traffic is expected to be lower due to COVID related reasons, revenues should be higher due to the recently passed toll increases.

So far in 2020, revenues are about $1.1 Billion, about $270 million less than forecasted.

Within a nj.com article (which I didn't bother linking as you need a paid subscription to read the entire thing), it stated "The biggest budget increase is the $1 billion capital budget, reflecting the toll increase that funds the first year of the authority immediate five year $5.2 billion capital improvement program. Of that, 84% would be spent on bridge reconstruction, paving and highway drainage. That is part of the authority's longer term $24 billion 20-year capital plan."

It did not state exactly which projects will be worked on next year, and glancing at the NJTA website, there aren't any updated documents which provides any details.  The pavement on several areas of the Turnpike is quite old, so good to see them working on that.  There are many bridges on both highways that are 40 - 60 years old, so some significant work is needed on them as well.

Of the widenings proposed, the widening from Interchanges 1 - 4 appears to be the easiest and least controversial (except for one person on these forums), so we may see those advance fairly soon...although I would suspect most of the work will be several years away.  If it's similar to the Interchange 6 - 9 widening, this project will be cut up to several contracts of several miles each.

the exits 1-4 widening is only widening njtpke from 2 to 3 lanes in this section it is stated in the capital plan that the project is broken up into 3 contracts contract 1 is interchanges 1-2 contract 2 is 2-3 and 3 is 3-4 here is a link to the capital plan its on pages 36-38 https://www.njta.com/media/5613/proposed-2020-capital-improvement-program.pdf

[bluecountry]

The NJTA passed a $2.1 Billion Budget for 2021, by far the largest in history.  While traffic is expected to be lower due to COVID related reasons, revenues should be higher due to the recently passed toll increases.

So far in 2020, revenues are about $1.1 Billion, about $270 million less than forecasted.

Within a nj.com article (which I didn't bother linking as you need a paid subscription to read the entire thing), it stated "The biggest budget increase is the $1 billion capital budget, reflecting the toll increase that funds the first year of the authority immediate five year $5.2 billion capital improvement program. Of that, 84% would be spent on bridge reconstruction, paving and highway drainage. That is part of the authority's longer term $24 billion 20-year capital plan."

It did not state exactly which projects will be worked on next year, and glancing at the NJTA website, there aren't any updated documents which provides any details.  The pavement on several areas of the Turnpike is quite old, so good to see them working on that.  There are many bridges on both highways that are 40 - 60 years old, so some significant work is needed on them as well.

Of the widenings proposed, the widening from Interchanges 1 - 4 appears to be the easiest and least controversial (except for one person on these forums), so we may see those advance fairly soon...although I would suspect most of the work will be several years away.  If it's similar to the Interchange 6 - 9 widening, this project will be cut up to several contracts of several miles each.

the exits 1-4 widening is only widening njtpke from 2 to 3 lanes in this section it is stated in the capital plan that the project is broken up into 3 contracts contract 1 is interchanges 1-2 contract 2 is 2-3 and 3 is 3-4 here is a link to the capital plan its on pages 36-38 https://www.njta.com/media/5613/proposed-2020-capital-improvement-program.pdf

I have said many times I am upset as I would rather the $$$ be used to make the NJTP 4 lanes each way from exit 4 to exit 6, that should be the priority.

[cpzilliacus]

The part of the New Jersey Turnpike that I use most-frequently is between Interchanges 1 and 6, almost always weekends and holidays, and the road can  be extremely busy then.   

IMO the NJTA has wisely put widening of the four-lane part of the Turnpike, which is 1 to 4, in its capital program.  Yes a lot of this has to do with terrible lane discipline ("nestoring") in Lane 1 which leads to passing on the right and plenty of unsafe lane changes, but the issue is much less acute  in the six-lane section between 4 and 6.

Only issue I have (and it is a minor and non-technical matter) is that the 1 to 4 section is the only part of the road that comes close to being the original New Jersey Turnpike, and that will no longer be "original" when the widening is completed.

Many bridges over the Turnpike south of Interchange 6 have been reconstructed to allow for 6 or maybe even 8 lanes (with shoulders) of Turnpike under them.  Anyone know how many bridges over the Pike still require total replacement?

[jeffandnicole]

The part of the New Jersey Turnpike that I use most-frequently is between Interchanges 1 and 6, almost always weekends and holidays, and the road can  be extremely busy then.   

IMO the NJTA has wisely put widening of the four-lane part of the Turnpike, which is 1 to 4, in its capital program.  Yes a lot of this has to do with terrible lane discipline ("nestoring") in Lane 1 which leads to passing on the right and plenty of unsafe lane changes, but the issue is much less acute  in the six-lane section between 4 and 6.

Only issue I have (and it is a minor and non-technical matter) is that the 1 to 4 section is the only part of the road that comes close to being the original New Jersey Turnpike, and that will no longer be "original" when the widening is completed.

Many bridges over the Turnpike south of Interchange 6 have been reconstructed to allow for 6 or maybe even 8 lanes (with shoulders) of Turnpike under them.  Anyone know how many bridges over the Pike still require total replacement?

By my unofficial count (so, like the polls, factor in a 4% margin of error),

From the Interchange 1 toll plaza to and including Interchange 2:
12 Overpasses, 5 underpasses

From north of Int. 2 to and including Int. 3:
18 overpasses, 8 underpasses

From north of Int. 3 to and including Int. 4:
9 overpasses, 4 underpasses

Total: 39 overpasses, 17 underpasses

Of those, about 8 overpasses have already been replaced and widened for 3 lanes.  1 or 2 overpasses are scheduled for replacement soon, and 2 underpasses are already wide enough for 3 lanes.

That will leave about 29 overpasses and 15 underpasses that still need to be widened.

In addition, there's bridges between the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the Interchange 1 toll plaza (I'm not sure what the plans will be for this area).  If they widen this entire area as well, there are:

4 overpasses, 3 of which will need to be widened, and 2 underpasses, both of which need to be widened.

[bluecountry]

The part of the New Jersey Turnpike that I use most-frequently is between Interchanges 1 and 6, almost always weekends and holidays, and the road can  be extremely busy then.   

IMO the NJTA has wisely put widening of the four-lane part of the Turnpike, which is 1 to 4, in its capital program.  Yes a lot of this has to do with terrible lane discipline ("nestoring") in Lane 1 which leads to passing on the right and plenty of unsafe lane changes, but the issue is much less acute  in the six-lane section between 4 and 6.

Only issue I have (and it is a minor and non-technical matter) is that the 1 to 4 section is the only part of the road that comes close to being the original New Jersey Turnpike, and that will no longer be "original" when the widening is completed.

Many bridges over the Turnpike south of Interchange 6 have been reconstructed to allow for 6 or maybe even 8 lanes (with shoulders) of Turnpike under them.  Anyone know how many bridges over the Pike still require total replacement?

That is my biggest gripe, I feel the 1-4 section feels a little scenic, like a poor man's Merrit Parkway, which I feel will be lost.

I also think at least between exit 1-2, it is not necessary.
As well, exit 4-6 4 lanes is more pressing as is fixing it around MM 100 where there is no shoulder.

[Alps]

The part of the New Jersey Turnpike that I use most-frequently is between Interchanges 1 and 6, almost always weekends and holidays, and the road can  be extremely busy then.   

IMO the NJTA has wisely put widening of the four-lane part of the Turnpike, which is 1 to 4, in its capital program.  Yes a lot of this has to do with terrible lane discipline ("nestoring") in Lane 1 which leads to passing on the right and plenty of unsafe lane changes, but the issue is much less acute  in the six-lane section between 4 and 6.

Only issue I have (and it is a minor and non-technical matter) is that the 1 to 4 section is the only part of the road that comes close to being the original New Jersey Turnpike, and that will no longer be "original" when the widening is completed.

Many bridges over the Turnpike south of Interchange 6 have been reconstructed to allow for 6 or maybe even 8 lanes (with shoulders) of Turnpike under them.  Anyone know how many bridges over the Pike still require total replacement?

That is my biggest gripe, I feel the 1-4 section feels a little scenic, like a poor man's Merrit Parkway, which I feel will be lost.

I also think at least between exit 1-2, it is not necessary.
As well, exit 4-6 4 lanes is more pressing as is fixing it around MM 100 where there is no shoulder.

All of these issues are on the Authority's radar. They're aware of what every inch of their system looks like.

[cpzilliacus]

By my unofficial count (so, like the polls, factor in a 4% margin of error),

From the Interchange 1 toll plaza to and including Interchange 2:
12 Overpasses, 5 underpasses

From north of Int. 2 to and including Int. 3:
18 overpasses, 8 underpasses

From north of Int. 3 to and including Int. 4:
9 overpasses, 4 underpasses

Total: 39 overpasses, 17 underpasses

Of those, about 8 overpasses have already been replaced and widened for 3 lanes.  1 or 2 overpasses are scheduled for replacement soon, and 2 underpasses are already wide enough for 3 lanes.

That will leave about 29 overpasses and 15 underpasses that still need to be widened.

In addition, there's bridges between the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the Interchange 1 toll plaza (I'm not sure what the plans will be for this area).  If they widen this entire area as well, there are:

4 overpasses, 3 of which will need to be widened, and 2 underpasses, both of which need to be widened.

By my unofficial count (so, like the polls, factor in a 4% margin of error),

From the Interchange 1 toll plaza to and including Interchange 2:
12 Overpasses, 5 underpasses

From north of Int. 2 to and including Int. 3:
18 overpasses, 8 underpasses

From north of Int. 3 to and including Int. 4:
9 overpasses, 4 underpasses

Total: 39 overpasses, 17 underpasses

Of those, about 8 overpasses have already been replaced and widened for 3 lanes.  1 or 2 overpasses are scheduled for replacement soon, and 2 underpasses are already wide enough for 3 lanes.

That will leave about 29 overpasses and 15 underpasses that still need to be widened.[/quote]

Thanks for the estimate (and margin of error!). 

In addition, there's bridges between the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the Interchange 1 toll plaza (I'm not sure what the plans will be for this area).  If they widen this entire area as well, there are:

4 overpasses, 3 of which will need to be widened, and 2 underpasses, both of which need to be widened.

So the widening from the southern terminus up to Exit 4 is a much a bridge replacement project (and I suppose maybe a bridge widening project for the structures that carry the Turnpike over other roads and bodies of water) as it is a Turnpike widening project.  Since those bridges are presumably around 70 years old, it probably make sense to replace them at this point.   

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has replaced  dozens of bridge over its roads over the past 20 or 25 years, so it makes sense that NJTA would do the same.

[jeffandnicole]

So the widening from the southern terminus up to Exit 4 is a much a bridge replacement project (and I suppose maybe a bridge widening project for the structures that carry the Turnpike over other roads and bodies of water) as it is a Turnpike widening project.  Since those bridges are presumably around 70 years old, it probably make sense to replace them at this point.   

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has replaced  dozens of bridge over its roads over the past 20 or 25 years, so it makes sense that NJTA would do the same.

And, consider this:  Of the original overpasses for the Turnpike from Int. 1 to Int. 4, in the 70 year time span, only ONE has been replaced for a road widening project!  That'll be the NJ 42 overpass, replaced around 1995-1999, when Rt. 42 was widened.   The other overpasses reconstructed were due to age (although all the overpasses in this stretch were built around the same time), but were built to accommodate an eventual 3rd lane on the Turnpike.

[J Route Z]

So the widening from the southern terminus up to Exit 4 is a much a bridge replacement project (and I suppose maybe a bridge widening project for the structures that carry the Turnpike over other roads and bodies of water) as it is a Turnpike widening project.  Since those bridges are presumably around 70 years old, it probably make sense to replace them at this point.   

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has replaced  dozens of bridge over its roads over the past 20 or 25 years, so it makes sense that NJTA would do the same.

And, consider this:  Of the original overpasses for the Turnpike from Int. 1 to Int. 4, in the 70 year time span, only ONE has been replaced for a road widening project!  That'll be the NJ 42 overpass, replaced around 1995-1999, when Rt. 42 was widened.   The other overpasses reconstructed were due to age (although all the overpasses in this stretch were built around the same time), but were built to accommodate an eventual 3rd lane on the Turnpike.

Posted before, the Kresson Road bridge over the turnpike in Cherry Hill is currently being replaced/widened. The Route 45 bridge in West Deptford and Route 73 bridge in Mount Laurel have been replaced some years ago. It would make sense for many of these overpasses to be replaced in the near future as they have aged significantly. The Church Road overpass in Mount Laurel in the vicinity of exit 4 should be next on the list since this bridge sees heavy traffic daily.

[cpzilliacus]

Given the large number of bridges to be replaced (I am speaking of the ones over the Turnpike, not under), I wonder if NJTA is going to consider any innovative approaches, such as having bridge superstructures and decks prefabricated elsewhere and transported to the construction site for a fast installation?

[jeffandnicole]

Posted before, the Kresson Road bridge over the turnpike in Cherry Hill is currently being replaced/widened. The Route 45 bridge in West Deptford and Route 73 bridge in Mount Laurel have been replaced some years ago. It would make sense for many of these overpasses to be replaced in the near future as they have aged significantly. The Church Road overpass in Mount Laurel in the vicinity of exit 4 should be next on the list since this bridge sees heavy traffic daily.

The NJ 45 overpass started intriguing me because Rt. 45 was only one lane each direction when the Turnpike was built. It appears around 1970-73, the Southbound overpass was built, and the existing bridge became the NB side. That entire structure was replaced and lengthened roughly around 2005.

As far as Church Road goes, heavy use has relatively little impact on when the overpass would need to be replaced. The NJ 70 overpass is 8 lanes wide and sees multiple times more traffic than the 2 lane Church Road overpass, which based on traffic volumes would be replaced before Church Rd.

Given the large number of bridges to be replaced (I am speaking of the ones over the Turnpike, not under), I wonder if NJTA is going to consider any innovative approaches, such as having bridge superstructures and decks prefabricated elsewhere and transported to the construction site for a fast installation?

If standard NJTA construction methods continue, including as we saw on the Turnpike 6-9 and the GSP 36-80 widenings, they will go with conventional methods.

For wider overpasses, they'll close a few lanes, shift traffic and widen sections at a time.

For busier 2 lane overpasses, they tend to build a new overpass directly next to the old overpass, and use a fairly discreet shift in the local roadway to the new overpass. The new overpass will often have the same number of lanes as the old overpass, as it's rare that an overpass will be widened, unless NJDOT or the county has plans to widen the rest of the roadway in the vicinity of the overpass.

On lesser used overpasses, the NJTA will do the above, or just close the local roadway and replace the bridge on its current footprint.

[famartin]

Posted before, the Kresson Road bridge over the turnpike in Cherry Hill is currently being replaced/widened. The Route 45 bridge in West Deptford and Route 73 bridge in Mount Laurel have been replaced some years ago. It would make sense for many of these overpasses to be replaced in the near future as they have aged significantly. The Church Road overpass in Mount Laurel in the vicinity of exit 4 should be next on the list since this bridge sees heavy traffic daily.

The NJ 45 overpass started intriguing me because Rt. 45 was only one lane each direction when the Turnpike was built. It appears around 1970-73, the Southbound overpass was built, and the existing bridge became the NB side. That entire structure was replaced and lengthened roughly around 2005.

As far as Church Road goes, heavy use has relatively little impact on when the overpass would need to be replaced. The NJ 70 overpass is 8 lanes wide and sees multiple times more traffic than the 2 lane Church Road overpass, which based on traffic volumes would be replaced before Church Rd.

Given the large number of bridges to be replaced (I am speaking of the ones over the Turnpike, not under), I wonder if NJTA is going to consider any innovative approaches, such as having bridge superstructures and decks prefabricated elsewhere and transported to the construction site for a fast installation?

If standard NJTA construction methods continue, including as we saw on the Turnpike 6-9 and the GSP 36-80 widenings, they will go with conventional methods.

For wider overpasses, they'll close a few lanes, shift traffic and widen sections at a time.

For busier 2 lane overpasses, they tend to build a new overpass directly next to the old overpass, and use a fairly discreet shift in the local roadway to the new overpass. The new overpass will often have the same number of lanes as the old overpass, as it's rare that an overpass will be widened, unless NJDOT or the county has plans to widen the rest of the roadway in the vicinity of the overpass.

On lesser used overpasses, the NJTA will do the above, or just close the local roadway and replace the bridge on its current footprint.

While they aren't widening most overpasses, I did notice there are safety shoulders on most if not all of the new overpasses in the 6-9 section which were not present previously, IIRC.

[fmendes]

Posted before, the Kresson Road bridge over the turnpike in Cherry Hill is currently being replaced/widened. The Route 45 bridge in West Deptford and Route 73 bridge in Mount Laurel have been replaced some years ago. It would make sense for many of these overpasses to be replaced in the near future as they have aged significantly. The Church Road overpass in Mount Laurel in the vicinity of exit 4 should be next on the list since this bridge sees heavy traffic daily.

The NJ 45 overpass started intriguing me because Rt. 45 was only one lane each direction when the Turnpike was built. It appears around 1970-73, the Southbound overpass was built, and the existing bridge became the NB side. That entire structure was replaced and lengthened roughly around 2005.

As far as Church Road goes, heavy use has relatively little impact on when the overpass would need to be replaced. The NJ 70 overpass is 8 lanes wide and sees multiple times more traffic than the 2 lane Church Road overpass, which based on traffic volumes would be replaced before Church Rd.

Given the large number of bridges to be replaced (I am speaking of the ones over the Turnpike, not under), I wonder if NJTA is going to consider any innovative approaches, such as having bridge superstructures and decks prefabricated elsewhere and transported to the construction site for a fast installation?

If standard NJTA construction methods continue, including as we saw on the Turnpike 6-9 and the GSP 36-80 widenings, they will go with conventional methods.

For wider overpasses, they'll close a few lanes, shift traffic and widen sections at a time.

For busier 2 lane overpasses, they tend to build a new overpass directly next to the old overpass, and use a fairly discreet shift in the local roadway to the new overpass. The new overpass will often have the same number of lanes as the old overpass, as it's rare that an overpass will be widened, unless NJDOT or the county has plans to widen the rest of the roadway in the vicinity of the overpass.

On lesser used overpasses, the NJTA will do the above, or just close the local roadway and replace the bridge on its current footprint.

While they aren't widening most overpasses, I did notice there are safety shoulders on most if not all of the new overpasses in the 6-9 section which were not present previously, IIRC.

arent there already 12ft shoulders on this section or are they adding the the left

[famartin]

Posted before, the Kresson Road bridge over the turnpike in Cherry Hill is currently being replaced/widened. The Route 45 bridge in West Deptford and Route 73 bridge in Mount Laurel have been replaced some years ago. It would make sense for many of these overpasses to be replaced in the near future as they have aged significantly. The Church Road overpass in Mount Laurel in the vicinity of exit 4 should be next on the list since this bridge sees heavy traffic daily.

The NJ 45 overpass started intriguing me because Rt. 45 was only one lane each direction when the Turnpike was built. It appears around 1970-73, the Southbound overpass was built, and the existing bridge became the NB side. That entire structure was replaced and lengthened roughly around 2005.

As far as Church Road goes, heavy use has relatively little impact on when the overpass would need to be replaced. The NJ 70 overpass is 8 lanes wide and sees multiple times more traffic than the 2 lane Church Road overpass, which based on traffic volumes would be replaced before Church Rd.

Given the large number of bridges to be replaced (I am speaking of the ones over the Turnpike, not under), I wonder if NJTA is going to consider any innovative approaches, such as having bridge superstructures and decks prefabricated elsewhere and transported to the construction site for a fast installation?

If standard NJTA construction methods continue, including as we saw on the Turnpike 6-9 and the GSP 36-80 widenings, they will go with conventional methods.

For wider overpasses, they'll close a few lanes, shift traffic and widen sections at a time.

For busier 2 lane overpasses, they tend to build a new overpass directly next to the old overpass, and use a fairly discreet shift in the local roadway to the new overpass. The new overpass will often have the same number of lanes as the old overpass, as it's rare that an overpass will be widened, unless NJDOT or the county has plans to widen the rest of the roadway in the vicinity of the overpass.

On lesser used overpasses, the NJTA will do the above, or just close the local roadway and replace the bridge on its current footprint.

While they aren't widening most overpasses, I did notice there are safety shoulders on most if not all of the new overpasses in the 6-9 section which were not present previously, IIRC.

arent there already 12ft shoulders on this section or are they adding the the left

Sorry, I should've clarified. I meant overpasses over the turnpike. Many had no safety shoulders prior to the 6-9 widening.

[fmendes]

now i havent seen any thing on the north end of the tpke why dont they extend the truck lanes to the gwb

[famartin]

now i havent seen any thing on the north end of the tpke why dont they extend the truck lanes to the gwb

Given that trucks are now banned from the lower level, it could make a sort of sense to do so (though then you'd tie the truck lanes directly to the upper level instead of the lower), but that would probably be environmentally prohibitive in the Meadowlands.

[jeffandnicole]

Given the large number of bridges to be replaced (I am speaking of the ones over the Turnpike, not under), I wonder if NJTA is going to consider any innovative approaches, such as having bridge superstructures and decks prefabricated elsewhere and transported to the construction site for a fast installation?

While they aren't widening most overpasses, I did notice there are safety shoulders on most if not all of the new overpasses in the 6-9 section which were not present previously, IIRC.

arent there already 12ft shoulders on this section or are they adding the the left

As famartin stated, the previous response was in reference to a question about the overpasses over the Turnpike.  He was correct in that wider shoulders and/or sidewalks were provided where there may not have been any originally.  The travel lanes tend to remain the same. 

One unusual example of a bridge that was widened was I-195 West over the Turnpike.  This could in theory be used as a 3rd lane in the future, but was primarily done to permit 2-way traffic over this overpass while the Eastbound 195 structure was replaced.  The EB structure was only built to provide 2 lanes, which reveals that NJDOT has no plans to widen 195 in the future.  They could've used that extra room on the WB overpass to add what NJDOT terms an auxiliary lane, connecting the accel lane from 195's Exit 7 to Exit 6's decel lane.  Being it's only about 1,400 feet between those lanes, it's a little surprising they didn't do that.

now i havent seen any thing on the north end of the tpke why dont they extend the truck lanes to the gwb

For the most part, they decided on a spur option rather than a single route option.

Between the Turnpike's Vince Lombardi Service Plaza and the GWB, they would need to figure out the whole roadway situation as it's currently set up for an Express/Local figuration that wouldn't work too well with how the rest of the 6 - 14 Car/Truck roadway configuration works, along with the GWB Truck restrictions.

[jeffandnicole]

Regarding bridge construction methods, one departure from the historic building of the overpasses during the Turnpike's 6-9 widening was the NJTA eliminated 2 of the 3 bridge supports whenever possible over the dual-dual lanes, which usually was when the overpass went over the Turnpike at a 90 degree angle.  This allowed for a single support between the opposing directions, but no support between the inner and outer roadways. 

Before anyone gets all fictional that this could mean the roadways would be combined in the future, 3 supports were used on nearly every overpass that didn't cross the Turnpike at a 90 degree angle, so, no, combining roadways won't happen.

Based on that though, it would probably be possible for the Turnpike to eliminate the center support for new overpasses between Interchanges 1 and 4 as the total overpass length would be comparable to the inner/outer roadway overpass length.

[lstone19]

Between the Turnpike's Vince Lombardi Service Plaza and the GWB, they would need to figure out the whole roadway situation as it's currently set up for an Express/Local figuration that wouldn't work too well with how the rest of the 6 - 14 Car/Truck roadway configuration works, along with the GWB Truck restrictions.

Lombardi Service Plaza to the I-80 junction is NOT Express/Local. Rather, it and the Turnpike south of it to Newark Airport is designed to keep the two dominant traffic flows at the north end separated. Those two flows are Newark Airport - West Spur - GWB and Lincoln Tunnel - East Spur - I-80. Look carefully at the roadways between the Lombardi Service Plaza and I-80 and you'll see that traffic from the West Spur to the GWB and from the East Spur to I-80 (and vice versa) do not share any roadway.

I-95 between I-80 and the GWB is Express/Local but both are reached from the same Turnpike roadway. Heading north, you choose whether you're going on I-95 to the GWB or on I-80 at the east spur/west spur merge after the service plaza and before US 46. After that, you are committed.

[jeffandnicole]

Between the Turnpike's Vince Lombardi Service Plaza and the GWB, they would need to figure out the whole roadway situation as it's currently set up for an Express/Local figuration that wouldn't work too well with how the rest of the 6 - 14 Car/Truck roadway configuration works, along with the GWB Truck restrictions.

Lombardi Service Plaza to the I-80 junction is NOT Express/Local. Rather, it and the Turnpike south of it to Newark Airport is designed to keep the two dominant traffic flows at the north end separated. Those two flows are Newark Airport - West Spur - GWB and Lincoln Tunnel - East Spur - I-80. Look carefully at the roadways between the Lombardi Service Plaza and I-80 and you'll see that traffic from the West Spur to the GWB and from the East Spur to I-80 (and vice versa) do not share any roadway.

I-95 between I-80 and the GWB is Express/Local but both are reached from the same Turnpike roadway. Heading north, you choose whether you're going on I-95 to the GWB or on I-80 at the east spur/west spur merge after the service plaza and before US 46. After that, you are committed.

Points taken. 

Overall though, the current setup doesn't lend itself to a good way to do a Car/Truck roadway division without some serious modifications.

[fmendes]

Between the Turnpike's Vince Lombardi Service Plaza and the GWB, they would need to figure out the whole roadway situation as it's currently set up for an Express/Local figuration that wouldn't work too well with how the rest of the 6 - 14 Car/Truck roadway configuration works, along with the GWB Truck restrictions.

Lombardi Service Plaza to the I-80 junction is NOT Express/Local. Rather, it and the Turnpike south of it to Newark Airport is designed to keep the two dominant traffic flows at the north end separated. Those two flows are Newark Airport - West Spur - GWB and Lincoln Tunnel - East Spur - I-80. Look carefully at the roadways between the Lombardi Service Plaza and I-80 and you'll see that traffic from the West Spur to the GWB and from the East Spur to I-80 (and vice versa) do not share any roadway.

I-95 between I-80 and the GWB is Express/Local but both are reached from the same Turnpike roadway. Heading north, you choose whether you're going on I-95 to the GWB or on I-80 at the east spur/west spur merge after the service plaza and before US 46. After that, you are committed.

Points taken. 

Overall though, the current setup doesn't lend itself to a good way to do a Car/Truck roadway division without some serious modifications.

oh yes i completely agree just it would be worth constructing considering this section is fu**ed at all hours of the day

[lstone19]

Points taken. 

Thanks. I don't think the Turnpike gets enough credit regarding the north end configuration and the thought that went into it. Most of the general public doesn't even realize that the major flows are kept separated and that there is actually a good reason the Turnpike normally advises GWB traffic use the west spur.

Overall though, the current setup doesn't lend itself to a good way to do a Car/Truck roadway division without some serious modifications.

I agree, the current arrangement does not lend itself to car/truck. Couple that with the Express being upper deck and Local being lower deck (except for the crossover for those vehicles that must go to the upper deck) and it's a mess. Multiple goals and it can't do everything without more roadways.

I live in the Chicago area now so am rarely there but from growing up in NJ, have always known lower deck requires being in the local lanes after I-80. One year, I was coming up on the express/local split intending to go to the express lanes and upper deck when about five seconds from being committed, heard a traffic report mentioning a crash on the upper deck. Immediate hard right (safely) to the local lanes!