New Jersey Turnpike

[02 Park Ave]

Why does the Turnpike Authority close down lanes on weekend nights?  Tonight the southbound car lanes are closed.  A few weeks ago they had them shut down northbound on a Sunday night and cars entering the Turnpike at Exit 11 were backed up through the toll plaza and onto the Parkway itself.

I appreciate that maintenance has to be performed but closing down lanes on a Friday or Sunday night in the Summertime is not logical.

[SignBridge]

What time do those closures begin?

[02 Park Ave]

What time do those closures begin?

The closures started about 8:00 pm.

I saw the effects of the northbound closure firsthand.  I was driving southbound from the Parkway through Exit11 around nine o'clock.  You wouldn't believe what the northbound backup looked like through the toll plaza.

[SignBridge]

I would have to agree that 8pm is way too early to start those closures on weekend evenings. And if the back-ups are as bad as you say, I'm surprised the Turnpike Authority doesn't know better than to do that during weekend peak traffic periods. 12 Midnight might be a more reasonable time to close lanes on weekends.

[storm2k]

Couple of random pics from the NBHCE approaching Interchange 14 and the connections back to the mainline Turnpike.

[paul02474]

Couple of random pics from the NBHCE approaching Interchange 14 and the connections back to the mainline Turnpike.

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

[famartin]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

[J Route Z]

Looks like new light fixtures are put up at exit 5. They still have to remove the old ones.

[storm2k]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering. And I doubt that the Turnpike Authority will ever deviate from its numbering standards to adopt mileage based numbers. There's no real pressure the FHWA could put on them since the roadway takes no tax funds for construction or maintenance (in fact, some of the toll money is sent to NJDOT for various projects) nor has NJDOT shown any desire to force the issue, which if you think about it, would have happened by now as NJDOT has been using mileage based exit numbers for decades at this point.

[paul02474]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering. And I doubt that the Turnpike Authority will ever deviate from its numbering standards to adopt mileage based numbers. There's no real pressure the FHWA could put on them since the roadway takes no tax funds for construction or maintenance (in fact, some of the toll money is sent to NJDOT for various projects) nor has NJDOT shown any desire to force the issue, which if you think about it, would have happened by now as NJDOT has been using mileage based exit numbers for decades at this point.

The closed ticket system is not a barrier to renumbering the exits. The Pennsylvania Turnpike renumbered exits on the Northeast Extension to align with the numbering of the Blue Route (I-476) when they converted the mainline turnpike to mileage-based numbering. That said, one needs to question how long the ticket system will be in place. Tickets are dinosaurs, as other agencies are moving into all-electronic tolling.

[famartin]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering.

You mis-understand. Its part of both the turnpike and I-78, but to NJTA, it being part of the turnpike takes precedence. Hence, "more part of the turnpike".

[famartin]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering. And I doubt that the Turnpike Authority will ever deviate from its numbering standards to adopt mileage based numbers. There's no real pressure the FHWA could put on them since the roadway takes no tax funds for construction or maintenance (in fact, some of the toll money is sent to NJDOT for various projects) nor has NJDOT shown any desire to force the issue, which if you think about it, would have happened by now as NJDOT has been using mileage based exit numbers for decades at this point.

The closed ticket system is not a barrier to renumbering the exits. The Pennsylvania Turnpike renumbered exits on the Northeast Extension to align with the numbering of the Blue Route (I-476) when they converted the mainline turnpike to mileage-based numbering. That said, one needs to question how long the ticket system will be in place. Tickets are dinosaurs, as other agencies are moving into all-electronic tolling.

Bingo. The need for tickets diminishes every day, especially with other systems starting to just go to billing by mail based on license plate if you don't have EZ-Pass. The need for the Turnpike's exit scheme is far, far lower than it used to be. At this point, keeping it around has the same value as keeping "New York" as the northbound control on I-95 in Maryland... "its just how its always been, so why change it?"

[storm2k]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering.

You mis-understand. Its part of both the turnpike and I-78, but to NJTA, it being part of the turnpike takes precedence. Hence, "more part of the turnpike".

I am well aware that it's signed as 78 the same way that a large part of the mainline roadway is signed as 95, but it's a part of the Turnpike. That's how the NJTA treats its roads, thus so shall I. And their desire is to keep their traditional exit numbering place, and there's very little I've seen that suggests they'll ever change that.

Also, a move to full AET for both the Turnpike and Parkway is part of their long range capital plan for this decade.

[famartin]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering.

You mis-understand. Its part of both the turnpike and I-78, but to NJTA, it being part of the turnpike takes precedence. Hence, "more part of the turnpike".

I am well aware that it's signed as 78 the same way that a large part of the mainline roadway is signed as 95, but it's a part of the Turnpike. That's how the NJTA treats its roads, thus so shall I. And their desire is to keep their traditional exit numbering place, and there's very little I've seen that suggests they'll ever change that.

Well, they DID finally give up their "custom" signage to go with standard in recent years, so I wouldn't rule anything out.

[roadman65]

Couple of random pics from the NBHCE approaching Interchange 14 and the connections back to the mainline Turnpike.

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

What about New York with three different schemes for both I-87 and I-90.  That's more confusing, but to understand it's one mainline for the Thruway and The Berkshire Se Timon is its own before I-90 joins it.

[02 Park Ave]

When AET finally comes to New Jersey I hope that it is done correctly so as to fix the tolling inconsistencies on the GSP and ACE and tolling inaccuracies on the Turnpike.

[paul02474]

When AET finally comes to New Jersey I hope that it is done correctly so as to fix the tolling inconsistencies on the GSP and ACE and tolling inaccuracies on the Turnpike.

Would you clarify what you mean by "tolling inaccuracies on the Turnpike?"

[theroadwayone]

Thanks for the excellent photos.
The exit numbers are absurd and inconsistent across these signs. The Newark Bay Extension exit numbers should be renumbered to align to I-78:
Exit 14 becomes I-78 Exit 59
Exit 14A becomes I-78 Exit 62
Exit 14B becomes I-78 Exit 64

They seem inconsistent because they still look at the system as being more part of the turnpike, instead of more part of I-78, so the turnpike numbering scheme takes precedence.

Ideally, one day the NJTA will change the I-95 exits to follow I-95 mileage, the I-78 exits to do likewise, and so on. But that day is likely a LONG way off.

Not more a part of the Turnpike, but completely a part of the Turnpike. The NBHCE was built by the Turnpike Authority and resides within its closed ticket system, hence the sign numbering. And I doubt that the Turnpike Authority will ever deviate from its numbering standards to adopt mileage based numbers. There's no real pressure the FHWA could put on them since the roadway takes no tax funds for construction or maintenance (in fact, some of the toll money is sent to NJDOT for various projects) nor has NJDOT shown any desire to force the issue, which if you think about it, would have happened by now as NJDOT has been using mileage based exit numbers for decades at this point.

The closed ticket system is not a barrier to renumbering the exits. The Pennsylvania Turnpike renumbered exits on the Northeast Extension to align with the numbering of the Blue Route (I-476) when they converted the mainline turnpike to mileage-based numbering. That said, one needs to question how long the ticket system will be in place. Tickets are dinosaurs, as other agencies are moving into all-electronic tolling.

And the NE Extension's sequence-based numbers were 31-39, so when they went to mileage-based numbers, it was only too convenient that the Lansdale exit (#31) was at I-476's Milepost 31.

[cpzilliacus]

Bingo. The need for tickets diminishes every day, especially with other systems starting to just go to billing by mail based on license plate if you don't have EZ-Pass. The need for the Turnpike's exit scheme is far, far lower than it used to be. At this point, keeping it around has the same value as keeping "New York" as the northbound control on I-95 in Maryland... "its just how its always been, so why change it?"

I have two gripes regarding exit numbers on the New Jersey Turnpike, and they are
not about Exit 14 and its "child" exits on I-78.  The big one is about the "free"
turnpike north of Exit 18:

These should get exit numbers consistent with the Turnpike exit numbers.

Exit 68 Challenger Road

I-80 West no exit number - should get one.

Exit 70B Teaneck and Exit 70A Leonia

Exit 71 Englewood

Exit 72 U.S. 46 and NJ-4

Exit 73 Fort Lee, NJ-67

And at the other end of I-95 in New Jersey the U.S. 130 exit at Florence should be signed as Exit 6A.

[jp the roadgeek]

Bingo. The need for tickets diminishes every day, especially with other systems starting to just go to billing by mail based on license plate if you don't have EZ-Pass. The need for the Turnpike's exit scheme is far, far lower than it used to be. At this point, keeping it around has the same value as keeping "New York" as the northbound control on I-95 in Maryland... "its just how its always been, so why change it?"

I have two gripes regarding exit numbers on the New Jersey Turnpike, and they are
not about Exit 14 and its "child" exits on I-78.  The big one is about the "free"
turnpike north of Exit 18:

These should get exit numbers consistent with the Turnpike exit numbers.

Exit 68 Challenger Road

I-80 West no exit number - should get one.

Exit 70B Teaneck and Exit 70A Leonia

Exit 71 Englewood

Exit 72 U.S. 46 and NJ-4

Exit 73 Fort Lee, NJ-67

And at the other end of I-95 in New Jersey the U.S. 130 exit at Florence should be signed as Exit 6A.

Totally agree that exit numbers between Exit 18 and the GWB should be continuous.  Either continue the sequential system, or go to mileage based exits; either use Turnpike mileage up to the GWB (73 would be 122), or use I-95 mileage north of current Exit 6 (US 130 in Florence would be 3 in this case).  The unnumbered portion south of Exit 6 would use Turnpike mileage.  Only difference would be current Exit 6 southbound.  If Turnpike mileage is used, I-95 (PATP Extension) gets numbered as 51 in both directions.  If I-95 mileage is used, the northbound Turnpike exit to 95 South is 51, but the mainline Turnpike gets the exit number instead of 95/PATP extension (a la 95/128 North from 93 South in Canton, MA).  Funny thing is the number would still be 6 (either way, the exit to the Turnpike south from 95 North should get the 6 number). 

[cpzilliacus]

Totally agree that exit numbers between Exit 18 and the GWB should be continuous.  Either continue the sequential system, or go to mileage based exits; either use Turnpike mileage up to the GWB (73 would be 122), or use I-95 mileage north of current Exit 6 (US 130 in Florence would be 3 in this case).  The unnumbered portion south of Exit 6 would use Turnpike mileage.  Only difference would be current Exit 6 southbound.  If Turnpike mileage is used, I-95 (PATP Extension) gets numbered as 51 in both directions.  If I-95 mileage is used, the northbound Turnpike exit to 95 South is 51, but the mainline Turnpike gets the exit number instead of 95/PATP extension (a la 95/128 North from 93 South in Canton, MA).  Funny thing is the number would still be 6 (either way, the exit to the Turnpike south from 95 North should get the 6 number). 

My personal preference is to retain the NJTP interchange numbers from 1 to 18 (including 6A at Florence) because they serve their purpose well and are widely known by frequent turnpike users and by at least some visitors, and renumber from 18 to the GWB using the turnpike exit numbering system (to include adding an exit number for I-80 W).  Added bonus - renumbering north of 18 is probably a lot less expensive than changing them from 1 to 18.

[akotchi]

The I-80 exit is numbered 69 southbound, but unnumbered northbound.  Since there is a large distance between the SB and NB accesses, would the northbound exit get a different number, like 67?

Also, for some reason, the U.S. 46 exit is also unnumbered northbound -- Exit 68 is only for Challenger Road -- but numbered as 68 southbound.  It is also unnumbered from the I-80 EB ramps (which become the SB outer roadway).

If continuing from Turnpike exit numbering. the numbering would have to start from 20, since 19W was added to the Sports Complex/American Dream ramp on the Western Spur.

[famartin]

The I-80 exit is numbered 69 southbound, but unnumbered northbound.  Since there is a large distance between the SB and NB accesses, would the northbound exit get a different number, like 67?

Also, for some reason, the U.S. 46 exit is also unnumbered northbound -- Exit 68 is only for Challenger Road -- but numbered as 68 southbound.  It is also unnumbered from the I-80 EB ramps (which become the SB outer roadway).

If continuing from Turnpike exit numbering. the numbering would have to start from 20, since 19W was added to the Sports Complex/American Dream ramp on the Western Spur.

Most if not all the oddities you mention are matters of historical precedent and momentum. 80 exits off the original turnpike NB, but the NJDOT-built Bergen-Passaic Expressway SB (actually it's 95 that exits the BPE, which continues as 80). So, southbound, NJDOT gave it the number 69, but NB, it was always NJTA, and since it's beyond their original ticket system, it was unnumbered. Same reason 46 has no number NB... NJTA is responsible and it's beyond their ticket system, so no number. SB, it was near the very end of the connector from the BPE and the turnpike, so NJDOT gave it the number 68.

[lstone19]

The I-80 exit is numbered 69 southbound, but unnumbered northbound.  Since there is a large distance between the SB and NB accesses, would the northbound exit get a different number, like 67?

Also, for some reason, the U.S. 46 exit is also unnumbered northbound -- Exit 68 is only for Challenger Road -- but numbered as 68 southbound.  It is also unnumbered from the I-80 EB ramps (which become the SB outer roadway).

If continuing from Turnpike exit numbering. the numbering would have to start from 20, since 19W was added to the Sports Complex/American Dream ramp on the Western Spur.

The Turnpike really blew it with the Sports Complex number. Historically, from before the US46 to I-80 section was built, US46 was Exit 18 (as well as the end of the road). As with many other toll roads, toll plaza numbers took the number of the first exit you could exit after the plaza so the corresponding toll plaza was also, 18, later 18E with 18W on the western route. But they seem to have forgotten that US46 was 18 when they gave the 19W number to the Sports Complex exit.

[famartin]

The I-80 exit is numbered 69 southbound, but unnumbered northbound.  Since there is a large distance between the SB and NB accesses, would the northbound exit get a different number, like 67?

Also, for some reason, the U.S. 46 exit is also unnumbered northbound -- Exit 68 is only for Challenger Road -- but numbered as 68 southbound.  It is also unnumbered from the I-80 EB ramps (which become the SB outer roadway).

If continuing from Turnpike exit numbering. the numbering would have to start from 20, since 19W was added to the Sports Complex/American Dream ramp on the Western Spur.

The Turnpike really blew it with the Sports Complex number. Historically, from before the US46 to I-80 section was built, US46 was Exit 18 (as well as the end of the road). As with many other toll roads, toll plaza numbers took the number of the first exit you could exit after the plaza so the corresponding toll plaza was also, 18, later 18E with 18W on the western route. But they seem to have forgotten that US46 was 18 when they gave the 19W number to the Sports Complex exit.

You are not considering that the 18W plaza is still south of 19W, so in that regard, 19W is correct. That said, it probably should be 17W, with 17 becoming 17E.

Remember, historical precedent/momentum are strong with the NJTA. Getting them to change anything is remarkable (which is why their new signage style is such a shock)