New Jersey

[Alps]

Jeesh, I'm glad there's a large and well-tended photographic archive of the "personality" NJDOT and NJTA signage will once have had.

True of all states. Whither LeHay font, state-name US shields, embossed signs... everything ends and progresses.

[motorway]

Jeesh, I'm glad there's a large and well-tended photographic archive of the "personality" NJDOT and NJTA signage will once have had.

True of all states. Whither LeHay font, state-name US shields, embossed signs... everything ends and progresses.

Everything may end, but I'm not sure that change automatically signifies "progress"...

[jeffandnicole]

Shut 'em down!

http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/11/stop_red_light_cameras_must_be_turned_off_next_month_nj_tells_towns.html#incart_m-rpt-1

[Zeffy]

Shut 'em down!

http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/11/stop_red_light_cameras_must_be_turned_off_next_month_nj_tells_towns.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Finally. Now let's hope that the DOT decides to end the program all-together.

[jeffandnicole]

Shut 'em down!

http://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2014/11/stop_red_light_cameras_must_be_turned_off_next_month_nj_tells_towns.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Finally. Now let's hope that the DOT decides to end the program all-together.

Actually, it's not in their hands.  All they can do is collect the data & issue the report.  Ultimately, it's up to the Governor to sign or veto any bill that applies to this.  And as of now, there's no bill.  I'm a bit surprised even the most supportive members of the legislature and assembly haven't drafted something as of yet.  I would've thought after Election Day last week something would've popped up. While Christie hasn't said he will absolutely veto any bill that gets to him, he did indicate that he probably won't continue the program.

[Pete from Boston]

It's pretty much National news when a casino closes. The Taj has threatened that they may be next, but nothing beyond that.

Threat made good:

Trump Taj Mahal Will Be 5th Atlantic City Casino to Close This Year

(Footnote: Don Guardian has to be the funniest name of the mayor of a mobbed-up town there is.)

[roadman65]

Considering that it takes 2 million in sales per day to keep it at even, it is no surprise to me that it will. 

Some people will be happy to hear as Trump is not everyone's favorite person.  For years he kept out the Vegas developers, who actually know how to run casino's and many feel this is his payback for that and, of course, the Junk Bond scandal of his thirty years ago.

Plus, his real estate empire will cover his loss soon enough anyway.  I believe that closing some of your venues in the world of business is considered being smart.

[Zeffy]

State DOT Officials Expect US 46 / NJ 3 Interchange Rework Project to Begin Next Spring

State Department of Transportation officials expect the first phase of work to start next spring on a larger project to straighten out the messy merge between Routes 46, 3 and Valley Road in Clifton.

Construction on the project's first phase, to build a new two-way service road between Notch/Rifle Camp Road and Valley Road to take local traffic off Route 46 west, is expected to begin in the spring of 2015 and be completed in the fall of 2017, said Stephen Schapiro, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.

Work on the second contract, to rework and upgrade the merge between Routes 46 and 3 and Valley Road is expected to begin in the spring of 2018 with a tentative completion date of fall 2021, Schapiro said.

[DeaconG]

State DOT Officials Expect US 46 / NJ 3 Interchange Rework Project to Begin Next Spring

State Department of Transportation officials expect the first phase of work to start next spring on a larger project to straighten out the messy merge between Routes 46, 3 and Valley Road in Clifton.

Construction on the project's first phase, to build a new two-way service road between Notch/Rifle Camp Road and Valley Road to take local traffic off Route 46 west, is expected to begin in the spring of 2015 and be completed in the fall of 2017, said Stephen Schapiro, a state Department of Transportation spokesman.

Work on the second contract, to rework and upgrade the merge between Routes 46 and 3 and Valley Road is expected to begin in the spring of 2018 with a tentative completion date of fall 2021, Schapiro said.

Just looked at it on Google Maps.

Oh. My. God.

[Zeffy]

Just looked at it on Google Maps.

Oh. My. God.

Yup, sometimes I have no idea how NJDOT thought their creations were anywhere near efficient, let alone safe.

[NE2]

It was the 1930s.

[storm2k]

Just looked at it on Google Maps.

Oh. My. God.

Yup, sometimes I have no idea how NJDOT thought their creations were anywhere near efficient, let alone safe.

Actually a number of intersections like this were considered state of the art in the 30s and 40s when they were built. also, not nearly as much car traffic as there is now.

[cl94]

Just looked at it on Google Maps.

Oh. My. God.

Yup, sometimes I have no idea how NJDOT thought their creations were anywhere near efficient, let alone safe.

Actually a number of intersections like this were considered state of the art in the 30s and 40s when they were built. also, not nearly as much car traffic as there is now.

Doesn't mean that it should stay the way it always was. I avoid this area at all costs because of that interchange. 3 lanes on both US 46 and NJ 3 go to 2 and both merge directly into 3 lanes. Thing is a nightmare. Merge signage is nonexistent as well. Not too far west of there is the I-80 interchange I hate.

[jeffandnicole]

Just looked at it on Google Maps.

Oh. My. God.

Yup, sometimes I have no idea how NJDOT thought their creations were anywhere near efficient, let alone safe.

Actually a number of intersections like this were considered state of the art in the 30s and 40s when they were built. also, not nearly as much car traffic as there is now.

Doesn't mean that it should stay the way it always was. I avoid this area at all costs because of that interchange. 3 lanes on both US 46 and NJ 3 go to 2 and both merge directly into 3 lanes. Thing is a nightmare. Merge signage is nonexistent as well. Not too far west of there is the I-80 interchange I hate.

Which is why they're going to reconstruct it. 

[Roadgeek Adam]

Just looked at it on Google Maps.

Oh. My. God.

Yup, sometimes I have no idea how NJDOT thought their creations were anywhere near efficient, let alone safe.

Actually a number of intersections like this were considered state of the art in the 30s and 40s when they were built. also, not nearly as much car traffic as there is now.

Doesn't mean that it should stay the way it always was. I avoid this area at all costs because of that interchange. 3 lanes on both US 46 and NJ 3 go to 2 and both merge directly into 3 lanes. Thing is a nightmare. Merge signage is nonexistent as well. Not too far west of there is the I-80 interchange I hate.

Living less than a half-mile from said interchange, you get used to it. If you have to get off at Valley Road, you get three opportunities to reach it.

It is an annoying interchange going eastbound, but going westbound, it is rather easy, minus the odd left turn NJ 3 (old S3) makes before reaching US 46 (old 6).

[NJRoadfan]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

[Roadgeek Adam]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Try doing it from Clove Road, you hate the design going eastbound, because you have to run across 2 lanes of traffic to get to US 46 east.

[Alps]

Eastbound, you're jammed for miles getting up the hill, basically all the way back from the 80/46 merge, because of the slow traffic moving over to the right at Route 3 into two lanes. If they honestly just made three lanes go to Route 3 and just had one left lane Route 46, it would all go away.

[Alps]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Wait.
Wait.
The fuck.
The new solution STILL has two lanes from Route 3 WB? They're going to spend umpteen billion dollars and not solve the single biggest problem of all by a country mile?
I want my tax dollars back.

The good news is that with the state's funding situation, they won't even make it through Contract A.

[Zeffy]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Hmm, interesting. It seems many of NJDOT's fuckups in the modern age can be solved with roundabouts. Also, is it just me, or is that merge lane from Great Notch Road onto US 46 WB really short?

[Pete from Boston]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Hmm, interesting. It seems many of NJDOT's fuckups in the modern age can be solved with roundabouts. Also, is it just me, or is that merge lane from Great Notch Road onto US 46 WB really short?

I haven't been through there in over a year, but it may be due to the space constraints within the notch itself.  One of the folks at the excellent Great Notch Inn once explained to me that the inn itself predates Route 46, and had to actually be relocated back over the years as the highway displaced it.

[roadman65]

It is better than nothing I guess, but as Steve points out why spend millions to get the same results.

[cl94]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Wait.
Wait.
The fuck.
The new solution STILL has two lanes from Route 3 WB? They're going to spend umpteen billion dollars and not solve the single biggest problem of all by a country mile?
I want my tax dollars back.

I noticed that as well. Biggest issue there is the damn merge on NJ 3. It'll improve things somewhat, but not as much as is needed. Someone probably plugged the design into a software package and decided that it the cost-benefit ratio wasn't good, but 3 lanes would be better.

[roadman65]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Wait.
Wait.
The fuck.
The new solution STILL has two lanes from Route 3 WB? They're going to spend umpteen billion dollars and not solve the single biggest problem of all by a country mile?
I want my tax dollars back.

I noticed that as well. Biggest issue there is the damn merge on NJ 3. It'll improve things somewhat, but not as much as is needed. Someone probably plugged the design into a software package and decided that it the cost-benefit ratio wasn't good, but 3 lanes would be better.

I have not been a NJ resident for over 24 years, so I am not familiar with the current road situations, but it does sound like they are putting a band aid on what should be major surgery.  If I am not mistaken the whole bottleneck on NJ 3 WB approaching the 46 merge is caused by a lane drop, so how is not eliminating that going to do major change to commuters traveling there?

[cl94]

Plans for said interchange:
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/plans.shtm

I never had a problem with it eastbound. Its westbound with all the merging that is a mess. The left lane of NJ-3 just kinda vanishes into the right lane of US-46.

For historical context, this is the original 2003 plan for this project, note the lack of roundabouts: https://web.archive.org/web/20041125170344/http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt46/altB.pdf

Wait.
Wait.
The fuck.
The new solution STILL has two lanes from Route 3 WB? They're going to spend umpteen billion dollars and not solve the single biggest problem of all by a country mile?
I want my tax dollars back.

I noticed that as well. Biggest issue there is the damn merge on NJ 3. It'll improve things somewhat, but not as much as is needed. Someone probably plugged the design into a software package and decided that it the cost-benefit ratio wasn't good, but 3 lanes would be better.

I have not been a NJ resident for over 24 years, so I am not familiar with the current road situations, but it does sound like they are putting a band aid on what should be major surgery.  If I am not mistaken the whole bottleneck on NJ 3 WB approaching the 46 merge is caused by a lane drop, so how is not eliminating that going to do major change to commuters traveling there?

Kind of. As noted before, there are too many things wrong with this area and that plan (if it ever happens) will fix most of them. The CR 621 interchange is a weaving nightmare that can back things up, the merge itself with the right lane of US 46 and the left lane of NJ 3 combining without warning is a mess, the Notch Rd interchange is a mess, the NJ 3 lane drop, the list goes on and on. GSV on US 46 and NJ 3 EB shows the issues, especially if you look over to the WB side. It's a clusterfuck, and that's being nice.