NJ - 295/76/42 Construction Projects

[danlb_2000]

Nice pics, btw.

I'm a bit surprised at how slow they are moving on the 2nd half of the Bell Rd Overpass.  I'm sure there's some utilities they have to work around that's under the overpass, but I would've thought they would move on that a bit faster being the bridge has to alternate traffic on the one available lane.

Otherwise, there seems to be something going on most days there, somewhere in that construction zone.  The overpass over Essex Ave in the median of 295 appears to be complete, and they are adding asphalt near it as SB traffic will need to use that overpass in order to replace the current 295 South overpass. 

The 2nd of 4+ phases of lane shifts in being used on 76, which I believe is the 3 cattleshute phase, consisting of 2 contra-flow lanes on I-76 East, 1 single lane on the far left I-76 West shoulder, and 2 or 3 far right lanes which also access the US 130 exits.

Looking at the Essex Ave area today it appears that they are building a cattle chute from the far left lane of 295 North onto the newly constructed section of the bridge, so it appears that they are going to use that to divert the left lane onto the express ramp so they can rebuild the next section of the Essex bridge under that lane.

[jeffandnicole]

I took notice to that as well.  It appears the 76 East to 295 South ramp will essentially be extended about a 1/2 mile, where it will meet up with the other 2 lanes of 295 South. That cattle shute will probably need to open up first, so the temporary roadway leading south from the 295/42 split can be constructed to go over the new overpass over Essex.

In the meantime, it's not as noticable when you're driving right by it on 295 North (or as the case may be, practically underneath it), but from 295 South it's very noticable - they are removing much of the treeline/shrubbery/weeds that separated the highways from New St. Mary's Cemetary on Browning Rd.  This is where the mainline 295 will be constructed over Rt. 42 & Browning Rd, along with the 42 North to 295 North ramp.

[danlb_2000]

Looks like we spoke to soon about the Bell Rd bridge, they started working on it today.

[jeffandnicole]

Signage for a triple cattleshute workzone setup on I-76 West. Comes in your choice of colors too!

[Alps]

Signage for a triple cattleshute workzone setup on I-76 West. Comes in your choice of colors too!

That is really, really bad. I foresee crashes from people getting really confused in that third lane.

[Roadrunner75]

Signage for a triple cattleshute workzone setup on I-76 West. Comes in your choice of colors too!

Nice.  I'm still waiting for a triple on the Garden State Parkway's 83-100 work.

That is really, really bad. I foresee crashes from people getting really confused in that third lane.

One of the GSP's doubles has a single lane chute on the right side near SB exit 89.  A temporary auxiliary lane opens up just before it for traffic entering at 90 which becomes the exit lane for 89.  In the first few weeks, many through traffic drivers thought that the added right lane was a continuous through lane and the overhead signage above the lanes did not help this situation by being positioned over the wrong lanes right at the exit.  This led to continuous last second weaving into the through lane on the left before the gore.  I would get cut off every time I went through here. 

[jeffandnicole]

Shame I can't get a picture of the actual construction zone to show actual stripping and such (it's actually a fairly smooth transition).

It's a short lived zone anyway...this started a few weeks ago, and per the VMS signage, a new traffic pattern is coming Friday, which I believe will eliminate the middle cattleshute.

[Zeffy]

Where on I-76 is this triple cattleshute? I'm wondering if I'll get the chance to see it on Saturday on the way back from Camden.

[jeffandnicole]

Where on I-76 is this triple cattleshute? I'm wondering if I'll get the chance to see it on Saturday on the way back from Camden.

It would be on I-76 West.  Returning from Camden, you would be on I-76 East.  But, unless they delay the new traffic pattern, the VMS sigange indicated that this traffic pattern will be changed on Friday (or early Saturday morning, depending on their definition of Friday). If they haven't changed the traffic pattern and you want to drive thru it, you can take 76 East to 42 South to Creek Rd and make a u-turn there to get back to 42 North to 76 West.  (Even though 42 North ends in a 1/2 mile, there are no signs on Creek Rd indicating such.  All the signage states 42 North)

They need to do a lot of work under the road with drainage and such in this area, which is prone to flooding during very heavy rains.  And due to their requirements of keeping 5 lanes* open as much as possible on I-76 West, working in the middle of the highway required them to do this unusual cattleshute operation.

* - The signs I posted above indicates 4 lanes, which is proper for the 4 lanes on I-76 at that point.  Just about where the split occurs, the I-295 South to I-76 West ramp meets up with I-76 West. One of those lanes becomes the 5th lane on I-76.

[Alps]

CATTLE

CHUTE

A CHUTE OF CATTLE

[Pete from Boston]

CATTLE

CHUTE

A CHUTE OF CATTLE

When people mangle the language like this it makes me want to chute first, and ask questions later. 

[jeffandnicole]

BTW Zeffy...don't bother looking for the triple cattle shute...traffic pattern was changed last night.  It's still a dual-split zone though, with 2 WB contraflow lanes on I-76 East.

[NJ-Surveyor]

It is even harder to pull into the work zone in this phase. I think this phase will take a little while. We have a lot of inlets to build, sign structures, barrier, and paving to do in this phase. Then it's on to eastbound 76.

[jeffandnicole]

A few pics of the construction zone on 295:

Signage for the revised ramp to exit 26. Notice that even though there's no more express/local lane division on 76, the signage still refers to such. And great job with the new Left Exit 26. As long as you ignore it being on the right and the whole tab in yellow, and the bottom of the BGS remains white on green.



A new sign for North 295 to Local 76, not that you can see much of it.



The upcoming lengthened exit 26 ramp.



The Exit 26 ramp. Note: the sign to the left previously read 1/4 Mile. The left arrow plated was bolted over the wording.



Bell Rd over 295. Prior to the old single lane being removed, an example of the newer replacement sign being bigger and better than the original. Sure, it's in the median, but it's very visible.



The overpass has since been removed. What remains of the pier on the Northbound side...



...and the southbound side.

[Roadrunner75]

The overpass has since been removed. What remains of the pier on the Northbound side...
...and the southbound side.

Which overpass was removed?  Is that Bell Road?  I notice traffic signals in the last photo, which made me think the overpass for 168.  I just went through there NB on 295 tonight but didn't get a good look since it was dark.  I noticed they now have 3 NB lanes on 295 as it diverges from 76 back onto its own alignment, under the ramp from 76 EB.

[jeffandnicole]

The signal you see is on Bell Rd. It's used to meter traffic over the one available lane on the overpass over 295.

[Roadrunner75]

Interesting - I'll need to go through here during daylight hours to check it out.  I thought about a signal for one lane, but the photo seems to show signals oriented perpendicular to the road as well - I assume for a nearby cross-street to meter turning traffic in that direction.

My favorite signals (permanent installation) for a one lane bridge are here:
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=39.534034,-74.317274&spn=0.000033,0.026157&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=39.533954,-74.321312&panoid=RH07myU9Dl_suxgzAomSzQ&cbp=12,157.89,,0,6.81
This road is a great drive if you're ever in the area.  It was originally intended to be a route into Atlantic City from the north at Tuckerton, but was never completed.  Two single lane signal controlled bridges before you reach a dead-end in the middle of the bay.

[Zeffy]

Okay, I fucked up those pictures last post. So, in a second attempt, I present to you, some more pictures of I-295 South heading onto I-76 West... (Note: I am a complete novice at this, and this is with an iPhone 5c, so please don't hate on how the quality isn't as good as others posted on the site. I am more than well aware of it. Thanks! )











And heading back onto I-295 North from I-76 East there's this sign which I have no clue if it was there before, but heyy...



However, for the most part, the signs are very nice looking, with the exception of a few.

[jeffandnicole]

And heading back onto I-295 North from I-76 East there's this sign which I have no clue if it was there before, but heyy...

Yep - that sign has been there.  Never perfectly lined up though - the arrows were generally over the skip lines, rather than the lanes.  Now that the lanes are reduced in size by about a foot, the arrows are practically over the adjoining lane!

(Quality is fine though...I use a 5c as well.  Dirty windshields affect the pics more than the phone!)

[bzakharin]

I haven't noticed this before, though I come through here every day, but why is only NJ 42 given a direction at the "keep right" sign? I would think, if anything, it's I-295 that needs the direction since NJ-42 does not go north from here, while I-295, of course, does. Is it for the benefit of those who think the "42 freeway" continues to the Walt Whitman Bridge? Like those signs in Deepwater for "Turnpike South"? Those are, at least, on private property.

[jeffandnicole]

The signage in the area has always been a bit lackluster.  No cardinal direction for I-76 at all, and the previous overhead signage you are referring to had a single arrow pointing left for 76 to 676, and a single arrow pointing right for 295 to 42 South, even though there were 3 lanes.  The picture that shows the temporary "76 to 676, Left 2 Lanes" BGS is probably the most accurate signage that interchange has ever had.

Traffic coming north on 295 never even had signage whatsoever letting them know they were approaching Rt. 42, since technically there was no exit for Rt. 42. Yet, if you knew to take 76 Local, the first Exit on I-76 West was signed "To Rt. 42" (for those that wanted to make a u-turn to get to 42 South).

[Zeffy]

I have to say - for someone who didn't know where they were coming from (or going to for that matter), the signage really helps with the whole left exit concept that I don't see too much in New Jersey. (Note: As is clear by the picture - I wasn't driving, I only helped people get to here instead of taking surface streets because the GPS is a joke sometimes.) Most of these signs manufactured are all MUTCD compliant with the exception of a few rogue ones. Although, I have to ask, is LEFT required to be in a banner if it's in an action message (such as 76 TO 676 CAMDEN PHILADELPHIA LEFT 1 MILE)?

[roadman65]

I remember when there was no mention on I-295 north at the left hand express ramp to I-76.  Before NJDOT replaced all the road signs between Exits 23 & 36 back in the mid 80's, that ramp was only signed the Walt Whitman Bridge to Philadelphia with a typical NJ TOLL banner on it.  This was most likely reminisce of when I-676 crossed the Whitman and I-76 was planned into Camden and Downtown Philly and never was changed.  Plus the local lanes did use I-76 so NJDOT did not care as a stranger would eventually find it.

However, still to this day you have missing I-95 shields on the NJ Turnpike ramps, so not featuring route numbers was common back in the 80's and earlier in New Jersey in many places.  Even in NY you had no mention of I-87 back in those days on some Thruway entrance signage including the Palisdades Interstate Parkway.  The Garden State Parkway NB only sometime in the late 1990's added I-95 to the Exit 129 guide signs as it was always the "NJ Turnpike" even without shields for the NJT except at the one mile guide at New Brunswick Avenue.

Road names and bridges are more commonly used in the Northeast, so we never paid it anything when route numbers were lacking in those places back then. 

[danlb_2000]

Just noticed that Google has updated Street View for the construction area. Current images are from sometime last fall.

[jeffandnicole]

I remember when there was no mention on I-295 north at the left hand express ramp to I-76.  Before NJDOT replaced all the road signs between Exits 23 & 36 back in the mid 80's, that ramp was only signed the Walt Whitman Bridge to Philadelphia with a typical NJ TOLL banner on it.  This was most likely reminisce of when I-676 crossed the Whitman and I-76 was planned into Camden and Downtown Philly and never was changed.  Plus the local lanes did use I-76 so NJDOT did not care as a stranger would eventually find it.

Ah, this one took a while to remember...

Back in the 80's and before, the express/local lane division on I-76 stretched from I-295 to the Walt Whitman Bridge in both directions.  If one was on 295 North approaching I-76 and used the left Exit 26 Express ramp, they would've been on the I-76 Express lanes to the Walt Whitman Bridge with NO option of exiting in NJ, as the divider was continuous to the ramp to the bridge.  2 Express lanes and 1 local lane would access the bridge.  Thus, the sign was correct: That Exit 26 ramp had a 'Toll' banner on it because anyone using that ramp would be automatically forced onto the Walt Whitman Bridge to Philly, and had to pay a toll.   

For those on Rt. 42 North when it was 3 lanes wide, the left lane was exclusively for the Express Lanes, the right two lanes were for the local lanes.

Eventually, Rt. 42 was widened to 4 lanes, allowing the 2 left lanes access to the Express Lanes. The I-76 Express/Local lane divider was shortened to just past the US 130 ramps, so traffic on either the Express or Local lanes had full access to get to I-76's Walt Whitman Bridge or I-676 North towards Camden.  And on I-295, while the signage wasn't changed all that much, it would have lost the 'Toll' banner as those using the Exit 26 Express ramp would have had an option to exit the Express lanes (I-676).

Going the opposite direction...

For those coming off the Walt Whitman Bridge on I-76 East, you may encounter this slightly strange signage: http://goo.gl/maps/Heewk .  It's part of the configuration of the old Express/Local lane signage, updated with DRPA ugliness.

In the 80's, the Left 2 Lanes were for I-76 East Express, and would lead motorists to only Rt. 42 South or I-295 South (1 lane dedicated to each at that end point).  The right lane coming off the Whitman was for I-76 Local, which merged with I-676 South traffic and was for all exits on I-76 East.  After the Express/Local lane split was removed completely on I-76 East, for the longest while only the 'Express' and 'Local' banners were removed from the original signs, but the signs themselves remained.  The DRPA finally updated the signage, but instead of doing what would have been considered normal (mostly, a simple pull-thru sign), they created two new signs with varying degrees of information, all of which is pretty useless at this point.  It's also the first point NJ 42 is mentioned after entering NJ, even though nearly everyone calls I-76 by the local Route 42 name anyway.