New Jersey

[NJRoadfan]

E-ZPass appears to be live on the Cape May County Bridge Commission's crossings. Saw the signs when crossing the "Dukes of Hazzard" Middle Thorofare bridge last weekend. Hopefully it will helps with the backups on that bridge during the summer when everyone in the Wildwoods decides to go antiquing in Cape May.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/e-z-pass-set-to-go-live-on-cape-may/article_5c9de051-4b7d-5958-850d-6071fc448ea9.html

http://capemaycountynj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4777/Frequently-Asked-Questions

[storm2k]

E-ZPass appears to be live on the Cape May County Bridge Commission's crossings. Saw the signs when crossing the "Dukes of Hazzard" Middle Thorofare bridge last weekend. Hopefully it will helps with the backups on that bridge during the summer when everyone in the Wildwoods decides to go antiquing in Cape May.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/e-z-pass-set-to-go-live-on-cape-may/article_5c9de051-4b7d-5958-850d-6071fc448ea9.html

http://capemaycountynj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4777/Frequently-Asked-Questions

Middle Thorofare won't be any better because they'll still collect cash, there's only one lane, and a large amount of people are not from the area and probably don't have EZ-Pass, especially the large amount of tourists from Quebec that visit the Wildwood/Cape May area every summer for vacation.

[jeffandnicole]

E-ZPass appears to be live on the Cape May County Bridge Commission's crossings. Saw the signs when crossing the "Dukes of Hazzard" Middle Thorofare bridge last weekend. Hopefully it will helps with the backups on that bridge during the summer when everyone in the Wildwoods decides to go antiquing in Cape May.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/e-z-pass-set-to-go-live-on-cape-may/article_5c9de051-4b7d-5958-850d-6071fc448ea9.html

http://capemaycountynj.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4777/Frequently-Asked-Questions

Middle Thorofare won't be any better because they'll still collect cash, there's only one lane, and a large amount of people are not from the area and probably don't have EZ-Pass, especially the large amount of tourists from Quebec that visit the Wildwood/Cape May area every summer for vacation.

While it won't be non-stop crossings, everyone with an EZ Pass.Will still decrrease the lines and length of time needed to pay the toll.

[storm2k]

NY Times: For New Jersey Commuters, a Sequel to the "˜Summer of Hell'

The elevated highway that connects the New Jersey Turnpike to the Lincoln Tunnel already is the most traffic-choked stretch of pavement east of Chicago. Now, after decades of patching it up at night and on weekends, the state says the time has come to strip it down and rebuild it.

More than 80 years old, the bridge is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. But unlike many other decrepit bridges and tunnels in the area, Route 495 is finally getting an overhaul, creating a major challenge for travelers between New Jersey and New York.

The Port Authority turned Route 495 over to the state of New Jersey about 40 years ago. But the only copies of the plans for the viaduct remained in the Port Authority's offices in the north tower of the World Trade Center. They were lost in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. So when crews prepared to start stripping the girders that support the roadway down to bare steel, they had to do some reverse-engineering of the entire structure. After blasting off layers of paint, they found several sections that had rusted through, leaving holes as big as silver dollars.

Time to pay the piper after ignoring the 495 viaduct for so long...

[KEVIN_224]

Speaking of NJ Route 495, is the eastern terminus the toll plaza or the NY state line inside the tunnel?

[Alps]

Speaking of NJ Route 495, is the eastern terminus the toll plaza or the NY state line inside the tunnel?

State line.

[jeffandnicole]

The bridge will still be functionally obsolete after the work is done.  Can't do anything about it though. That classification will never change for many roads in North Jersey

[Mr. Matté]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thuHnZ-wcDk

Old timey video from the construction of the Meadowlands stadiums in the early-to-mid 70s including the surrounding roads' construction

[Plutonic Panda]

They're going to be spending all of this money and time creating these headaches to the most congested road on the East Coast and not add any capacity? At the very least, 2 lanes each way should be added, but 3 would be better.

[jeffandnicole]

They're going to be spending all of this money and time creating these headaches to the most congested road on the East Coast and not add any capacity? At the very least, 2 lanes each way should be added, but 3 would be better.

There's no room to either side of the highway, and capacity is limited at either end of the highway.

[Alps]

They're going to be spending all of this money and time creating these headaches to the most congested road on the East Coast and not add any capacity? At the very least, 2 lanes each way should be added, but 3 would be better.

There's no room to either side of the highway, and capacity is limited at either end of the highway.

Yeah, unless they're planning to add tubes to the Lincoln Tunnel, the most they really need is 3 lanes downhill and 4 up, which is exactly what they have now.

[roadman65]

To rebuild an entire viaduct would require lane closures or lane narrowing to accomplish a total rebuild or total rehabilitation.  Already the road is built to 1930's traffic counts and needs more lanes as is, but due to sprawl, the topography, and other factors to give Route 495 what it deserves would require lots of planning, requisition, and legal issues plus mainly the cost!    I would have to say get used to it if you commute to the City via the Lincoln Tunnel.

[NJRoadfan]

Shoulders would be nice. I don't know why the broke state took this from PANYNJ, unlike the Pulaski Skyway, it actually serves one of their crossings!

[Alps]

Shoulders would be nice. I don't know why the broke state took this from PANYNJ, unlike the Pulaski Skyway, it actually serves one of their crossings!

PANYNJ controls the helix, or am I missing something?

[storm2k]

To rebuild an entire viaduct would require lane closures or lane narrowing to accomplish a total rebuild or total rehabilitation.  Already the road is built to 1930's traffic counts and needs more lanes as is, but due to sprawl, the topography, and other factors to give Route 495 what it deserves would require lots of planning, requisition, and legal issues plus mainly the cost!    I would have to say get used to it if you commute to the City via the Lincoln Tunnel.

Well, lane narrowing is exactly what they're doing to rehab the existing viaduct. An expanded one is pretty much out of the picture, for so many reasons.

[ixnay]

Shoulders would be nice. I don't know why the broke state took this from PANYNJ, unlike the Pulaski Skyway, it actually serves one of their crossings!

A "crossing" where it's the opposite instead - the river crosses *it*.

Really, WCBS and TenTen Wins need a more accurate term than "Hudson River 'crossings'" or "East River 'crossings'" when more than one of them (heck, a total of four) has the opposite being true instead, but that's another thread.

ixnay

[odditude]

On I-295NB at Exit 52 (Florence/Columbus - Burlington CR 656), the overhead sign structure was removed during the full-depth reconstruction ~10 years ago and the signs were ground-mounted (with the advance sign for 52B getting greenout to adjust the distance message). Unlike all of the other sign structures within the project zone, this was never reinstalled/replaced. Were there ever any plans to do so, or did it fall off of some punch list?

[jeffandnicole]

On I-295NB at Exit 52 (Florence/Columbus - Burlington CR 656), the overhead sign structure was removed during the full-depth reconstruction ~10 years ago and the signs were ground-mounted (with the advance sign for 52B getting greenout to adjust the distance message). Unlike all of the other sign structures within the project zone, this was never reinstalled/replaced. Were there ever any plans to do so, or did it fall off of some punch list?

The southbound structure was hit by a construction truck.  That was replaced relatively quickly (and still took a few years).  When they fixed the southbound sign, the northbound one was removed and never replaced.

There is/are/will be construction contracts that are replacing numerous sign structures on several roads.  I expect this one will be part of those contracts.

[Roadsguy]

I won't be at the I-295/NJ 42 missing moves project open house tonight. Has NJDOT posted any documents online yet? If not, and if they don't post the presentation documents afterwords, can someone who attends post some pictures?

[jeffandnicole]

I won't be at the I-295/NJ 42 missing moves project open house tonight. Has NJDOT posted any documents online yet? If not, and if they don't post the presentation documents afterwords, can someone who attends post some pictures?

I haven't seen anything online yet.  There's this simulating video that was created by the contractor that gives a good flyover though.

http://www.rdvsystems.com/portfolio/i295-missing-moves-nj/

I'll try to get some pics while I'm there.

[storm2k]

On I-295NB at Exit 52 (Florence/Columbus - Burlington CR 656), the overhead sign structure was removed during the full-depth reconstruction ~10 years ago and the signs were ground-mounted (with the advance sign for 52B getting greenout to adjust the distance message). Unlike all of the other sign structures within the project zone, this was never reinstalled/replaced. Were there ever any plans to do so, or did it fall off of some punch list?

IIRC, that was in 2003, so we're at 15 years after that, proving that i'm old and time flies like crazy.

I always figured that NJDOT just decided that those signs didn't really need to be on overheads due to traffic volume and seeing the signs far enough away from the ground was sufficient for drivers to make the necessary decisions before they got too close to the exit.

[roadman65]

I remember when I-295 where it is concurrent with US 130 was all small signs on ground level until the 1985 widening project.  Of course on 2 lanes it really did not matter and in the past exit numbers and such were not a big deal (well off the NJ toll roads anyway). 

Being that part of I-295 was an existing segment of US 130 many of the old signs were kept as the MUTCD then was not as it is today.  It was so interesting to see the exit at Democrat Road in Swedesboro  have the name written out and underscored with the control city of Gibbstown in all upper case lettering as well as advanced guides for the ramps using NEXT RIGHT instead of 1/4 mile when next state over PA was using NEXT RIGHT on their at exit guides on the older freeways at the time.

I wish I had photos of the old signs along NJ Highways as we could all have a museum here in the cyberworld we never thought of back then.

[storm2k]

NJ.com: Surprise! Pulaski Skyway reopens 2 days early, delighting holiday drivers

The New Jersey Department of Transportation had said the spans that make up the Skyway would reopen by Monday, but drivers were overjoyed and even a bit confused Saturday when they found they could again travel on its lanes.

New Jersey Department of Transportation officials say while traffic lanes are open, more work on the Skyway will continue and there might be some intermittent closures in the future.

Will have to take a ride on this soon. Looks like all the signage is new.

[ixnay]

NJ.com: Surprise! Pulaski Skyway reopens 2 days early, delighting holiday drivers

The New Jersey Department of Transportation had said the spans that make up the Skyway would reopen by Monday, but drivers were overjoyed and even a bit confused Saturday when they found they could again travel on its lanes.

New Jersey Department of Transportation officials say while traffic lanes are open, more work on the Skyway will continue and there might be some intermittent closures in the future.

Will have to take a ride on this soon. Looks like all the signage is new.

Google Maps wasn't notified of the reopening apparently.  Iykwim.

Also, the intermediate ramps to/from surface streets will remain closed for their own rehabs.

ixnay

[Alps]

NJ.com: Surprise! Pulaski Skyway reopens 2 days early, delighting holiday drivers

The New Jersey Department of Transportation had said the spans that make up the Skyway would reopen by Monday, but drivers were overjoyed and even a bit confused Saturday when they found they could again travel on its lanes.

New Jersey Department of Transportation officials say while traffic lanes are open, more work on the Skyway will continue and there might be some intermittent closures in the future.

Will have to take a ride on this soon. Looks like all the signage is new.

There's a roadmeet for that on the 8th, if you'd like to join. Check out that thread.