Garden State Parkway

[storm2k]

Is the one for 165 still out there? I know when I drove up that part of the Parkway a few years back, there were still a few of the old signs with the old number only exit tabs.

[Zeffy]

Is the one for 165 still out there? I know when I drove up that part of the Parkway a few years back, there were still a few of the old signs with the old number only exit tabs.

The only thing I'm seeing on GMSV are signs that include the word EXIT in the exit tab.

[jeffandnicole]

If you use the newer GSV, you can dial it back to 2007, and it says 'Exit 165' then as well.

[roadman65]

http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/nj/gsp/n2.html Scroll down to the bottom of the page as alpsroads.net has the old sign for Exit 171 without the word exit.

[Alps]

Is the one for 165 still out there? I know when I drove up that part of the Parkway a few years back, there were still a few of the old signs with the old number only exit tabs.

I don't think any of these are left now. There MIGHT be one or two scattered in the northern reaches of the Pkwy.

[NJRoadfan]

The Garden State Parkway is free of traffic lights southbound in Cape May County: http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/news/court+house/103316-under+20+months+traffic+flows+southbound

Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152197655945730.1073741830.62719310729&type=3

[Roadrunner75]

The Garden State Parkway is free of traffic lights southbound in Cape May County: http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/news/court+house/103316-under+20+months+traffic+flows+southbound

Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152197655945730.1073741830.62719310729&type=3

Wow...that's great!  I'm due for a trip south to check it out.  Nice photos on the Herald's site too.

[DeaconG]

^^^YesyesyesYES! Most likely I'll never drive it since the majority of my family up there is down South, but it was always the most aggravating part of the annual neighborhood bus trip to the Wildwoods. Magnificent pictures!

Don't think I'll see the freeway stub of 47 extend down anywhere near the Wildwoods in my lifetime, if ever...

[NJRoadfan]

Good thing I filmed the whole area last year to preserve the "with traffic lights" experience. They are moving pretty fast with this project.

[J Route Z]

I read someplace they will be fixing/upgrading the GSP with Route 109 (the southern terminus). There is a traffic signal, where many accidents have occurred as well, but I am not sure about the details with this project. They should reconfigure this and eliminate the signal here, too if possible. 

[NJRoadfan]

Plans are online, I just have to find them again. They plan on putting in a jughandle and reconfiguring the Exit "0" setup.

[Roadrunner75]

This article describes it to some extent:
http://www.ocsentinel.com/oc_sureguide/community/project-aims-to-increase-safety-at-exit-on-garden-state/article_06022da4-ec0e-11e3-8177-0017a43b2370.html
It's not exactly clear, but it sounds like two jughandles in a row south of Exit 0 - the first to allow a U-turn for 109 SB to access GSP NB (which already exists now without a signal) and a second one further south for 109 SB to Ocean Drive (replacing the left turn).  Currently, there are two options to make the U-turn before the bridge - the U-turn loop on the left immediately after the GSP merges into 109, and a second existing jughandle a little further south without a signal.  Neither work that great with heavy traffic coming SB from the GSP.  I can't imagine having back to back jughandles at signals in such close proximity.  I would think one jughandle at Ocean Drive allowing the left turn and U-turn would work OK.

As for the traffic signal you encounter now at the end of the GSP (to allow 109 NB to cross GSP SB), that is relatively recent.  I remember when that was just a stop sign for 109 NB.  I think that signal is here to stay, just maybe with some better advance warning. 

[NJRoadfan]

http://www.capemaycountygov.net/FCpdf/Transportation%20Infrastructure%20Conference%20-%20Withers%2003122013.pdf

Page 13-15.

The signal at NJ-109 north has been there for at least 14 years now. Not really all that recent anymore.

[Roadrunner75]

http://www.capemaycountygov.net/FCpdf/Transportation%20Infrastructure%20Conference%20-%20Withers%2003122013.pdf

Page 13-15.

The signal at NJ-109 north has been there for at least 14 years now. Not really all that recent anymore.

Cool, thanks for posting.  This configuration looks really good - except I'm a little concerned if there is enough traffic coming from 109SB to GSP NB, that it could back up in that relatively tight jughandle between the signal (such as when a ferry comes in).  But I guess it's still far safer than the current weave.

As for the signal at the end of the GSP, it still feels new to me, as my family would vacation in Cape May Point since I was a baby almost 40 years ago until I was about 17 or so.  I spent a lot of time going through an unsignalized intersection there.

[Zeffy]

Cool, thanks for posting.  This configuration looks really good - except I'm a little concerned if there is enough traffic coming from 109SB to GSP NB, that it could back up in that relatively tight jughandle between the signal (such as when a ferry comes in).  But I guess it's still far safer than the current weave.

I can definitely forsee that happening, since sometimes on a heavy traffic day the jughandle into the Hamilton Center mall complex gets backed up for most of the loop. One thing I noticed are left exits and entrances, which seem to be a bit more popular than in the past. Unfortunately, I also feel like most people are worse at merging from a left than merging from the right.

[jakeroot]

Cool, thanks for posting.  This configuration looks really good - except I'm a little concerned if there is enough traffic coming from 109SB to GSP NB, that it could back up in that relatively tight jughandle between the signal (such as when a ferry comes in).  But I guess it's still far safer than the current weave.

I can definitely forsee that happening, since sometimes on a heavy traffic day the jughandle into the Hamilton Center mall complex gets backed up for most of the loop. One thing I noticed are left exits and entrances, which seem to be a bit more popular than in the past. Unfortunately, I also feel like most people are worse at merging from a left than merging from the right.

I know nothing about traffic in the area, but I could foresee a flyover ramp. Unless it would be prohibitively expensive?

[Roadrunner75]

Cool, thanks for posting.  This configuration looks really good - except I'm a little concerned if there is enough traffic coming from 109SB to GSP NB, that it could back up in that relatively tight jughandle between the signal (such as when a ferry comes in).  But I guess it's still far safer than the current weave.

I can definitely forsee that happening, since sometimes on a heavy traffic day the jughandle into the Hamilton Center mall complex gets backed up for most of the loop. One thing I noticed are left exits and entrances, which seem to be a bit more popular than in the past. Unfortunately, I also feel like most people are worse at merging from a left than merging from the right.

I know nothing about traffic in the area, but I could foresee a flyover ramp. Unless it would be prohibitively expensive?

Probably yes...and the area is tight with surrounding wetlands.  Traffic is pretty light for the off-season down here too.

[jakeroot]

Cool, thanks for posting.  This configuration looks really good - except I'm a little concerned if there is enough traffic coming from 109SB to GSP NB, that it could back up in that relatively tight jughandle between the signal (such as when a ferry comes in).  But I guess it's still far safer than the current weave.

I can definitely forsee that happening, since sometimes on a heavy traffic day the jughandle into the Hamilton Center mall complex gets backed up for most of the loop. One thing I noticed are left exits and entrances, which seem to be a bit more popular than in the past. Unfortunately, I also feel like most people are worse at merging from a left than merging from the right.

I know nothing about traffic in the area, but I could foresee a flyover ramp. Unless it would be prohibitively expensive?

Probably yes...and the area is tight with surrounding wetlands.  Traffic is pretty light for the off-season down here too.

But it's important to build infrastructure for all times of the year. If we're going to spend money on rebuilding this junction, we should do it right.

Maybe a roundabout, Zeffy? Lol.

[jeffandnicole]

A few pics in the southern area of the GSP (taken at dusk thru a dirty windshield, so clarity isn't all that great):

The Travel Time Sign for Exit 0 (31 miles; 32 minutes).  Because of the LED issues, you can't really tell but the majority of the sign is green.  The digits for the minutes are actually on a black background...with room for 3 digits (I HOPE it's never over 100 minutes for that distance!)



Construction of the new bridge over Great Egg Harbor.  I was zoomed in a bit much to capture the entire pier here, but you can see the height of the new bridge on the north side of the harbor will be considerably higher at this point.  Unlike the current bridge which remains flat for a bit then rises (from the perspective of a driver heading south), this bridge will rise earlier  At mid-point, the height will be a few feet higher, but nothing substantial.



On the south side, the slope will be about equivalent to what exists now, but again will be a few feet higher (maybe about 6 feet or so higher, when you factor in the bridge beams underneath the current bridge.  (When we got down to the base of the bridge, a cop had pulled into the median there.  Typical Jersey attitude...the traffic was flowing at about 60 mph in a 35 mph construction zone right past the cop...and that was considered completely normal).



I won't show the pictures of the new overpasses at Exits 11, 10 & 9, because the ones shown previously are much better in quality.  Here's one pic of the new Exit 10 signage though.  Previously (and still true for the NB side), the traffic lights operated like a normal intersection: Left Turns kept left; Right Turns kept Right.  For some reason, only Exit 10 was signed 10A for left turns and 10B for right turns (and the opposite, of course, going in the opposite direction). 

[Roadrunner75]

Nice - We were thinking about taking a day trip down to Cape May, so these photos are about as close as I'll get.  Maybe next weekend, so I can see the 9/10/11 progress and the Great Egg Harbor Bridge work.  I assume when the bridge is finished, they will route all traffic onto it, so they can rehabilitate the original span next?

[jeffandnicole]

I believe that's the plan - the new bridge will be wide enough for 4 lanes; good for the construction period, but when it's done it'll be 2 lanes wide, a wide shoulder (to accommodate a 3rd lane in the future) and a bike/ped path.

I didn't go northbound on the Parkway on this trip - we went to Wildwood for pizza and the Cape May Brewery for, well, brews...then took 47/55 back home.

[NJRoadfan]

If you like old button copy, better act quick. Many of the new signs between Exits 129 and 140 are in the shoulders awaiting installation.

[storm2k]

If you like old button copy, better act quick. Many of the new signs between Exits 129 and 140 are in the shoulders awaiting installation.

Saw some signs in the median by Exit 130 tonight. A couple of things that caught my eye:

Exit 130 is getting suffixes (B and A for south and north). Exit 131A doesn't look like it will mention Metropark anymore going northbound. Just going to say S. Wood Ave. Makes sense to me to send traffic to the train station to use 131B which comes out right by the parking garages.

[Roadgeek Adam]

If you like old button copy, better act quick. Many of the new signs between Exits 129 and 140 are in the shoulders awaiting installation.

Saw some signs in the median by Exit 130 tonight. A couple of things that caught my eye:

Exit 130 is getting suffixes (B and A for south and north). Exit 131A doesn't look like it will mention Metropark anymore going northbound. Just going to say S. Wood Ave. Makes sense to me to send traffic to the train station to use 131B which comes out right by the parking garages.

130 has been open to having suffixes for years, so it's nice to finally see it getting them.

[storm2k]

If you like old button copy, better act quick. Many of the new signs between Exits 129 and 140 are in the shoulders awaiting installation.

Saw some signs in the median by Exit 130 tonight. A couple of things that caught my eye:

Exit 130 is getting suffixes (B and A for south and north). Exit 131A doesn't look like it will mention Metropark anymore going northbound. Just going to say S. Wood Ave. Makes sense to me to send traffic to the train station to use 131B which comes out right by the parking garages.

130 has been open to having suffixes for years, so it's nice to finally see it getting them.

I always felt that the signage that was installed when they built the ramp to 1 NB twenty years ago was always odd.





The first one shows a weird configuration to show both directions and the second one didn't even have an exit tab for a couple of years until the NJSHA put one up as an afterthought.