New Jersey Turnpike

[cpzilliacus]

My preference would be to sign the  southbound side of the N.J. Turnpike from a point approaching Exit 6 and on to the southern terminus as Delaware (Illinois-style - not Wilmington) or Wilmington, Delaware (yes, that is a lot of characters) and Baltimore.

I-295 southbound clearly takes the motorist to Delaware, and it's a small state (only three counties), and then I-95 takes them on to Baltimore. 

[ixnay]

I'm just stating the facts as well, especially when stated that someone believes they enter Wilmington when crossing from NJ to DE.

They don't enter Wilmington, but DE bound, they get a good semi-aerial look at its business district from the DMB.

ixnay

[ixnay]

Would it need to be in Delaware, though?  Maryland skips over not one but THREE states to sign New York!  And you'd think Philadelphia would be a major enough control city...

They debated for a long time before settling on Wilmington.

Up until the early 1990s there was an old button copy sign at exit 6 southbound (not the famous overhead art deco sign) that said the following:  "NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH Camden Washington KEEP LEFT"

Wow, I would love to see an old photo of that sign.  Its early-90s successor sign (as most here know) read NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH Camden Delaware

Is this the one?



http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2009/08/21/classic_ng_road_trip_route_40/

ixnay

[jeffandnicole]

Would it need to be in Delaware, though?  Maryland skips over not one but THREE states to sign New York!  And you'd think Philadelphia would be a major enough control city...

They debated for a long time before settling on Wilmington.

Up until the early 1990s there was an old button copy sign at exit 6 southbound (not the famous overhead art deco sign) that said the following:  "NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH Camden Washington KEEP LEFT"

Wow, I would love to see an old photo of that sign.  Its early-90s successor sign (as most here know) read NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH Camden Delaware

Is this the one?



http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2009/08/21/classic_ng_road_trip_route_40/

ixnay

That looks like a Delaware State Trooper. NJ State Troopers wear very distinctive caps...they have a name but I can't think of it at the moment.  This pic appears to have been taken around DE 9 or US 13 slightly North of present day 295.

[storm2k]

Would it need to be in Delaware, though?  Maryland skips over not one but THREE states to sign New York!  And you'd think Philadelphia would be a major enough control city...

They debated for a long time before settling on Wilmington.

Up until the early 1990s there was an old button copy sign at exit 6 southbound (not the famous overhead art deco sign) that said the following:  "NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH Camden Washington KEEP LEFT"

Wow, I would love to see an old photo of that sign.  Its early-90s successor sign (as most here know) read NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH Camden Delaware

Is this the one?



http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2009/08/21/classic_ng_road_trip_route_40/

ixnay

No. That's clearly in Delaware.

This is the replacement sign they're talking about. I vaguely remember the original from the late 80s, I want to say it was replaced around the time they extended the dual-dual config down to 8A, as they did a bunch of sign replacements during that time.

[ixnay]

This[/url] is the replacement sign they're talking about. I vaguely remember the original from the late 80s, I want to say it was replaced around the time they extended the dual-dual config down to 8A, as they did a bunch of sign replacements during that time.

Oh, exit 6 SB.  Sorry, I misread.

Ironic that the sign for "Camden/Delaware" should be so worded, because there *is* a Camden, Delaware, home to Caesar Rodney High School and a charter bus company.

ixnay

[roadman65]

This[/url] is the replacement sign they're talking about. I vaguely remember the original from the late 80s, I want to say it was replaced around the time they extended the dual-dual config down to 8A, as they did a bunch of sign replacements during that time.

Oh, exit 6 SB.  Sorry, I misread.

Ironic that the sign for "Camden/Delaware" should be so worded, because there *is* a Camden, Delaware, home to Caesar Rodney High School and a charter bus company.

ixnay

Also on US 22 in NJ many signs are worded Newark/ New York as there also is a Newark, New York as well.

[jeffandnicole]

It appears the NJ Turnpike Exit 6 Mainline toll plaza will be reconfigured for two Express EZ Pass lanes per direction (currently there's 1 express lane per direction).

See page 10 in: http://www.njta.com/media/3461/bm_minutes_2017-10-24-with-veto-date.pdf

[storm2k]

Ruh roh...

ADVISORY: Eastbound Newark Bay-Hudson Extension closed between 14 and 14A for emergency structural repairs

The bearings between the bridge deck and a pier at milepost 0.5 of the Extension became overextended, causing the eastbound bridge deck to drop several inches.  Repairs crews have begun jacking the  structure back into place in order to repair the bearings.

The bearings are steel pieces that connect the bridge deck to the pier. They are designed to allow for controlled movement of the bridge deck, such as expansion or contraction due to temperature changes.  A contractor working in the area discovered that several bearings on the pier beneath the eastbound roadway at milepost 0.5 had rotated out of position.

Hopefully this is limited to the one location and there aren't other structural issues along that part of the extension leading to a longer closure. Having it happen on a holiday week is a good thing, but if there's a closure beyond the end of this week, it could make for an even longer commute with Truck 1-9 being the only available approach to Jersey City and the Holland Tunnel.

[Alps]

Ruh roh...

ADVISORY: Eastbound Newark Bay-Hudson Extension closed between 14 and 14A for emergency structural repairs

The bearings between the bridge deck and a pier at milepost 0.5 of the Extension became overextended, causing the eastbound bridge deck to drop several inches.  Repairs crews have begun jacking the  structure back into place in order to repair the bearings.

The bearings are steel pieces that connect the bridge deck to the pier. They are designed to allow for controlled movement of the bridge deck, such as expansion or contraction due to temperature changes.  A contractor working in the area discovered that several bearings on the pier beneath the eastbound roadway at milepost 0.5 had rotated out of position.

Hopefully this is limited to the one location and there aren't other structural issues along that part of the extension leading to a longer closure. Having it happen on a holiday week is a good thing, but if there's a closure beyond the end of this week, it could make for an even longer commute with Truck 1-9 being the only available approach to Jersey City and the Holland Tunnel.

Some combination of cold weather and the vast hordes of overloaded trucks pounding a structure that wasn't designed to handle them for decades, exacerbated by the Skyway closure pushing more vehicles eastbound (the direction of the slippage)? Maybe?

[storm2k]

Hudson Extension Update

Workers used 10 jacks to lift the span off the pier overnight last night. Repairs continue at this hour. The timeline for completion has not changed - still expected to be this evening, probably not until after the pm rush.

At least it sounds like they haven't found any other bits that need to be repaired... yet.

[Stephane Dumas]

Hudson Extension Update

Workers used 10 jacks to lift the span off the pier overnight last night. Repairs continue at this hour. The timeline for completion has not changed - still expected to be this evening, probably not until after the pm rush.

At least it sounds like they haven't found any other bits that need to be repaired... yet.

Yeah, but since it was built around the same era as the Tapaan Zee bridge, I wonder if NJTA might study a replacement more sooner then they thought?

[cpzilliacus]

Some combination of cold weather and the vast hordes of overloaded trucks pounding a structure that wasn't designed to handle them for decades, exacerbated by the Skyway closure pushing more vehicles eastbound (the direction of the slippage)? Maybe?

Does the  New Jersey Turnpike Authority have weigh-in-motion detectors at its entrance lanes to identify and (possibly deter) overweight trucks from entering the Turnpike?  The Pennsylvania Turnpike does, at least on its ticket system.

[jeffandnicole]

Some combination of cold weather and the vast hordes of overloaded trucks pounding a structure that wasn't designed to handle them for decades, exacerbated by the Skyway closure pushing more vehicles eastbound (the direction of the slippage)? Maybe?

Does the  New Jersey Turnpike Authority have weigh-in-motion detectors at its entrance lanes to identify and (possibly deter) overweight trucks from entering the Turnpike?  The Pennsylvania Turnpike does, at least on its ticket system.

No. And it's not like there's a State Trooper available at the toll plazas anyway to go after them.

I'm not even sure the PA Turnpike has them either. If they do...same thing applies regarding available State Police. Also notable...one theory floated about the PA/NJ Turnpike bridge crack last year was an overweight trucker was on the bridge. If that was the case, he entered on the PA Turnpike without detection.

[SignBridge]

Re: the current bridge issue, I'm surprised to see this kind of problem on a NJTA facility. I always thought the Authority did more rigorous inspections and maintenance than their counterparts in New York State.

[Alps]

Re: the current bridge issue, I'm surprised to see this kind of problem on a NJTA facility. I always thought the Authority did more rigorous inspections and maintenance than their counterparts in New York State.

I can't really say much at present, but from what I know, I don't think this was an issue they could have foreseen. What happened must have been triggered by the cold snap and some other circumstances that I can't even speculate on. I have some thoughts, but if I'm at all thinking on the right lines, this issue was mostly invisible.

[Alps]

Workers used 10 jacks to lift the span off the pier overnight last night. Repairs continue at this hour. The timeline for completion has not changed - still expected to be this evening, probably not until after the pm rush.

At least it sounds like they haven't found any other bits that need to be repaired... yet.

Yeah, but since it was built around the same era as the Tapaan Zee bridge, I wonder if NJTA might study a replacement more sooner then they thought?

A new bridge is planned in the reasonably short term. I don't know if this accelerates it any, but I think they broached mid to late 2020s. (I think.)

[cpzilliacus]

No. And it's not like there's a State Trooper available at the toll plazas anyway to go after them.

In theory, the system is supposed to deter overweights from entering the Pennsylvania Turnpike ticket system in the first place (no trooper needed), though I am not sure how they will do that with the transition to all-electronic toll collection.

I'm not even sure the PA Turnpike has them either. If they do...same thing applies regarding available State Police. Also notable...one theory floated about the PA/NJ Turnpike bridge crack last year was an overweight trucker was on the bridge. If that was the case, he entered on the PA Turnpike without detection.

It has been  a while, but the entry lanes on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with  the ticket dispensers had an indicator that the entering truck was overweight, and the machine would not dispense a ticket.   Presumably there was a weigh-in-motion detector in each entering lane.

[cpzilliacus]

A new bridge is planned in the reasonably short term. I don't know if this accelerates it any, but I think they broached mid to late 2020s. (I think.)

Is that to replace the existing structure or to build something new and parallel to what is there now to add capacity to the exits 14A, 14B and 14C Turnpike spur?

I like the existing bridge and it would be sad to see it get demolished.

[jeffandnicole]

No. And it's not like there's a State Trooper available at the toll plazas anyway to go after them.

In theory, the system is supposed to deter overweights from entering the Pennsylvania Turnpike ticket system in the first place (no trooper needed), though I am not sure how they will do that with the transition to all-electronic toll collection.

I'm not even sure the PA Turnpike has them either. If they do...same thing applies regarding available State Police. Also notable...one theory floated about the PA/NJ Turnpike bridge crack last year was an overweight trucker was on the bridge. If that was the case, he entered on the PA Turnpike without detection.

It has been  a while, but the entry lanes on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with  the ticket dispensers had an indicator that the entering truck was overweight, and the machine would not dispense a ticket.   Presumably there was a weigh-in-motion detector in each entering lane.

Honestly, in theory, there are numerous CDL regulations, weigh stations, and a host of other laws and rules designed to keep truckers from travelling illegally.  The industry has given a big middle finger to all of that.

[Alps]

No. And it's not like there's a State Trooper available at the toll plazas anyway to go after them.

In theory, the system is supposed to deter overweights from entering the Pennsylvania Turnpike ticket system in the first place (no trooper needed), though I am not sure how they will do that with the transition to all-electronic toll collection.

I'm not even sure the PA Turnpike has them either. If they do...same thing applies regarding available State Police. Also notable...one theory floated about the PA/NJ Turnpike bridge crack last year was an overweight trucker was on the bridge. If that was the case, he entered on the PA Turnpike without detection.

It has been  a while, but the entry lanes on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with  the ticket dispensers had an indicator that the entering truck was overweight, and the machine would not dispense a ticket.   Presumably there was a weigh-in-motion detector in each entering lane.

At this point, with AET, or even just with E-ZPass, I'd expect that the only way to catch them is to actually send out the cars. Which probably only happens for gross negligence or on slow days.

[cpzilliacus]

At this point, with AET, or even just with E-ZPass, I'd expect that the only way to catch them is to actually send out the cars. Which probably only happens for gross negligence or on slow days.

Virtual truck weigh stations as an enforcement measure can work (Maryland has a fair number of them deployed around the state now). There  are  quartz weigh-in-motion sensors and loop detectors in the pavement, along with high-resolution video cameras nearby. 

If a law enforcement officer is nearby, the data can be accessed from a computer in the patrol vehicle (including the video), and if a suspected overweight/overlength/overheight is detected, the truck can  be stopped and compelled to submit to a weighing (weigh-in-motion data are not accurate enough to be admissible in court) or measuring.  If limits are exceeded, the driver gets one or several tickets. This is lots cheaper than a "real" weigh/inspection station, and truck drivers usually do not know that the virtual weigh station is being monitored before they are stopped. Overweight tickets can be in the four figures if a truck is egregiously overweight. This is a relatively cheap way to protect pavement and bridges and related infrastructure.

Details here (large file).

[D-Dey65]

Actually I think these are the last mainline button copy signs on the NJ Tpke:









This sign is gone...there was some debate about this but yep it's long gone.

What's the one that's no longer available?

[storm2k]

So, someone must have clipped the right-hand sign on this assembly recently and ripped off a part of it. The NJTA's solution? Clip off everything below the Perth Amboy and put in a right arrow via greenout. Looks ridicuolous. I hope they reinstall a full sized panel (along with the "All Trucks" white banner) soon.

[Alps]

I hope they reinstall the original button copy sign soon.

FTFY