Pulaski Skyway to close to NY Bound traffic for two years starting in 2014

[roadman65]

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/pulaski/
I was reading this project summary put out by NJDOT about the Skyway's upcoming rehabilitation project.  In addition to the Skyway being worked on, it has the Route 139 Hoboken and Conrail Viaducts slated as part of a separate project, but yet included with the work to be done as phase 2.  Not only did I find it interesting, but it did raise a few questions regarding that the Hoboken Viaduct will be upgraded as is, and not torn down.

I do not know about many of you, but you have the Bergen Arches running parallel to the Hoboken Viaduct, where it gives more ROW to Route 139.  Would it not be more practical to take advantage of that and rebuild a new wider depressed freeway instead?   I would think that NJDOT would bring it up to date giving it three lanes each way and placing Hoboken Avenue on both sides of the highway instead of above it.  It would also allow for modern day safety improvements such as wider lanes and shoulders, as the current tunnel is so ancient.

I am guessing that this is not part of historic preservation, as it is not part of the historic Skyway, unless someone had the old structure declared a landmark already that it is being done that way.  I also know, too, that a former Jersey City mayor did once want to build a wider or new freeway in the arches, but the plan was rejected, which would have this project bring that back to life. This I read in Wikipedia somewhere in the write up on abandoned rail ways. The project even received funding for it and then Governor Tom Kean was even behind it as he was instrumental in its proposal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_Arches

[Alps]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_Arches

The very article you quote has the answer...

[roadman65]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_Arches

The very article you quote has the answer...

To me it seems like their trying to figure out the options for its use.  The Pulaski Skyway project already has the plans for the current NJ 139 just being rebuilt as is, and not using the Arches.  Even if there is hope for it being expanded later, which seems promising, I was suggesting that someone should have just settled for using the abandoned Erie ROW already instead of wasting all that effort to study the concept of its use.

BTW, I forgot I asked this one and I have been quite busy lately so I have not been around lately. 

[cpzilliacus]

N.Y. Times: Drivers in New Jersey to Lose Link as Pulaski Skyway Route Closes

On Saturday, northbound traffic on the skyway will be shut down for an estimated two years for a reconstruction project, severing a critical link for roughly 40,000 vehicles in and around Jersey City and Newark and complicating commutes to New York City for those who use the bridge to reach the Holland Tunnel.

The integrity of the structure, which opened in 1932, has grown increasingly worrisome in recent years, officials said; its roadbed and concrete railings are so frayed that the state installed netting to catch the falling debris.

[Pete from Boston]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen_Arches

The very article you quote has the answer...

It has some answers.  Over the years, I've also heard of a truck-only freight road (like the South Boston Haul Road), and a pedestrian walking path.  The latter, in the neighborhood it's in, sounds like a pretty great place to get shanked. 

[ixnay]

I'd love to drive (or ride as a front-seat passenger) the Pulaski Skyway.

So would I.  Till then, there's https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8460.0 (thanks to the driver for having WCBS-AM on).  He uploaded a westbound PS video too.

ixnay

[Alps]

I'd love to drive (or ride as a front-seat passenger) the Pulaski Skyway.

So would I.  Till then, there's https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8460.0 (thanks to the driver for having WCBS-AM on).  He uploaded a westbound PS video too.

ixnay

I have a video up too, at www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/us_1-9 (I forget whether NB or SB, I think SB). The music choice is apropos.

[cpzilliacus]

I have a video up too, at www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/us_1-9 (I forget whether NB or SB, I think SB). The music choice is apropos.

Would not run when I just tried it.

[cpzilliacus]

FreewayJim made a northbound video of the Skyway: Pulaski Skyway, Newark to Jersey City, NJ - Sopranos Style

[Zeffy]

I have a video up too, at www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/us_1-9 (I forget whether NB or SB, I think SB). The music choice is apropos.

That video seems older than me.    Especially compared to the Trenton tunnel one, as well as the Ben Franklin Bridge one.

[jeffandnicole]

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2014/041014.shtm

Yesterday's press release regarding the closure.  Interesting to note everything that has been done to try to reduce the traffic headaches:

Converting the shoulder lane to a travel lane on a portion of the NJ Turnpike

Adjusted traffic signal timings

Additional trains on several NJ Transit lines

Additional buses, including express buses

Additional PRIVATE buses

Enlarged/additional park-n-ride spots

Additional ferry runs

New ferry routes

And there's probably a few more items I've missed.

[SignBridge]

I'll guess that after the first few weeks of this major detour, traffic will adjust and find its own rhythm, just like it has during major transit strikes in the New York area in years past.

All those remedial actions listed above will help soften the blow so to speak. But is the Turnpike Authority really going to allow traffic to use shoulder lanes?  That would be a first; something the NJTA has always refused to do citing safety issues which I agreed with.

[jeffandnicole]

Yep, on the Hudson Bay Extension (I-78). The shoulder is already in use, and its usage is controlled via green arrows/red Xs. 

http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/ADVISORY_Man_Lane_System_operation.pdf

[cpzilliacus]

I'll guess that after the first few weeks of this major detour, traffic will adjust and find its own rhythm, just like it has during major transit strikes in the New York area in years past.

All those remedial actions listed above will help soften the blow so to speak. But is the Turnpike Authority really going to allow traffic to use shoulder lanes?  That would be a first; something the NJTA has always refused to do citing safety issues which I agreed with.

Virginia DOT has allowed use of the (full-depth) shoulder on I-66 in Fairfax County between U.S. 50 at Fair Oaks (Exit 57) and I-495 (Exit 64) for many years during peak-demand times in the peak-flow direction.   

There are a few "emergency pull-off" areas, but most of the way there are not.  The key to success seems to be having a lot of Safety Service Patrol (as VDOT calls them) freeway service patrol trucks deployed and looking for (and proactively dealing with) problems, especially minor crashes and disabled vehicles.

Yep, on the Hudson Bay Extension (I-78). The shoulder is already in use, and its usage is controlled via green arrows/red Xs. 

http://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/ADVISORY_Man_Lane_System_operation.pdf

That is the system that VDOT uses to inform motorists on I-66 if the right shoulder is open or closed to traffic. Seems clear enough.

There are scofflaws that use the shoulder when it is closed, and unfortunately, I have seldom seen the Virginia State Police pull such violators over.

[cpzilliacus]

NJ.COM: Assemblymen to propose slashing toll fares on Turnpike during Skyway shutdown

With the Pulaski Skyway to be shut down in one direction for the next two years, a pair of state assemblymen plan to propose slashing the toll fares on one of the major alternate routes.

Assemblymen Jason O'Donnell, D-Bayonne, and Joseph Cryan, D-Union, say their plan will ease the burden on commuters when the northbound lanes of the Skyway are closed, starting April 12, as part of the ongoing work to replaced the aging, decaying span.

Under legislation they say they will introduce next month, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority would be required to reduce, by half, the tolls at Exits 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, and 15e on the Turnpike extension until the Pulaski Skyway reopens.

The state Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the Skyway project, has advised motorists that the Turnpike extension is one of the possible alternate routes to get to Jersey City and New York.

[Alps]

I have a video up too, at www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/us_1-9 (I forget whether NB or SB, I think SB). The music choice is apropos.

Would not run when I just tried it.

It runs for me. And yeah, it is several years old.

[ixnay]

I have a video up too, at www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/us_1-9 (I forget whether NB or SB, I think SB). The music choice is apropos.

Would not run when I just tried it.

It runs for me. And yeah, it is several years old.

It runs for me, too.  And yes, good choice of music.

ixnay

[cpzilliacus]

N.Y. Times: True Test of Pulaski Skyway Route Shutdown to Come During Monday Rush

New Jersey drivers are enduring the first weekend of a two-year shutdown of the northbound lanes on the Pulaski Skyway, relying on alternative paths and public transportation as possible workarounds.

The shutdown, which began on Saturday and is part of a reconstruction project, will affect roughly 40,000 vehicles daily in and around Jersey City and Newark, disrupting a key link for commuters who use the bridge to reach New York City through the Holland Tunnel.

The effects of the closing have been modest so far this weekend, but the first true test will arrive with the Monday morning rush. The nearly 10,000 vehicles that ordinarily use the Skyway will have to find alternative routes. The New Jersey Department of Transportation has proposed several, including the New Jersey Turnpike's Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension, where the eastbound shoulder will be converted into a third lane during the morning and evening rush. Travelers can also turn to a truck route adjacent to the Pulaski Skyway.

[cpzilliacus]

I have a video up too, at www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/us_1-9 (I forget whether NB or SB, I think SB). The music choice is apropos.

Would not run when I just tried it.

It runs for me. And yeah, it is several years old.

Tried it in Internet Exploder.  Worked fine there.  Not sure why it would not run under Firefox. 

Thanks for sharing. 

[vdeane]

Probably has something to do with the video being a WMV file.

[froggie]

News 12 New Jersey on at the Prestige Diner this morning.  Talking a lot about the Skyway shutdown and alternative routes.  Doesn't appear to be any "oh-my-God-we're-all-gonna-die" traffic jams, but it's also almost 9am.

[jeffandnicole]

nj.com reports reasonably light traffic as well.  Because Easter is so late this year, many schools have off this week for spring break, so there's probably a lot of vacationing going on, resulting in decreased volume. 

That said, the articles over the past week had a lot of "This week will be hell" type statements and predictions.  The newspaper articles today are suddenly switching their tone a little bit...and suddenly trying to backtrack on their statements a bit.  Over the weekend they had a blog going that basically could only offer updates that mostly stated "Traffic is flowing fine". 

[DeaconG]

nj.com reports reasonably light traffic as well.  Because Easter is so late this year, many schools have off this week for spring break, so there's probably a lot of vacationing going on, resulting in decreased volume. 

That said, the articles over the past week had a lot of "This week will be hell" type statements and predictions.  The newspaper articles today are suddenly switching their tone a little bit...and suddenly trying to backtrack on their statements a bit.  Over the weekend they had a blog going that basically could only offer updates that mostly stated "Traffic is flowing fine". 

Carmageddon East?

[Duke87]

Here's why I don't think this is as big a deal as some people expect it to be: if you are looking at the Skyway as an approach road to the Holland Tunnel (which it probably is for a lot if not the majority of the traffic on it), it is two lanes for that purpose that you have lost. The turnpike spur is another two lanes for the same purpose which remain operational. The tunnel itself is... two lanes. And even then, those two lanes likely operate less than optimally inbound during rush hour since your rate limiting step isn't even necessarily the tunnel itself so much as it is the ability to distribute traffic amongst the streets in Manhattan once you get out of the tunnel (which of course get equally jammed up regardless).

So, closing the Skyway doesn't really create a new choke point, since it's redundant capacity so far as getting traffic to the tunnel is concerned. The people that the closure really hurts are the people heading to Tonnele Avenue and/or coming from the Ironbound.

This is also why it makes sense for the operational half of the Skyway to be outbound for the whole course of the project. Closing it outbound would likely cause more trouble since in that direction the capacity constraints are different.

[Alps]

PM rush traffic much lighter than usual. They lucked into a good week to do this, with spring break as has been said. By the time the full traffic is back, people will be used to the patterns.