New Jersey

[Zeffy]

Also, were the plans & specs for these new BGS' actually reviewed by NJDOT?  The Clearview font for those BGS' should've been flagged during the shop drawing process at the very latest.

It should've been flagged, but apparently NJDOT either was oblivious or they didn't verify the pattern sheets at all.

[jeffandnicole]

Should also note that it is U.S. 206 South as well, as U.S. 206 North is accessible at the next exit.

While that's true, there's a several mile gap between accessing 206 at exit 56 and exit 57. And you actually need to get on 206 North from exit 56 to get to the turnpike (for about 82 feet). So 206 by itself is accurate.

Unless there was a recent change, the Exit 56 BGS at the gore itself actually has a SOUTH 206 TO NJTP heading with an accompanying advance Exit 57 BGS that has a NORTH 130 206 (stacked vertically) heading.

as of last night, the sign has been removed and not yet replaced.

the signs on that gantry are new, too - installed upon completion of the full-depth reconstruction just a few years back.

Those signs had been damaged by the contractor. They replaced them after the project was completed.

The contractor also damaged the 295 South gantry at Interchange 45. The entire gantry structure was replaced in full.  After that, NJDOT remove the 295 North structure at Int. 45. That still hasn't been replaced.

Note to contractor: Lower your equipment!!!

[odditude]

Should also note that it is U.S. 206 South as well, as U.S. 206 North is accessible at the next exit.

While that's true, there's a several mile gap between accessing 206 at exit 56 and exit 57. And you actually need to get on 206 North from exit 56 to get to the turnpike (for about 82 feet). So 206 by itself is accurate.

Unless there was a recent change, the Exit 56 BGS at the gore itself actually has a SOUTH 206 TO NJTP heading with an accompanying advance Exit 57 BGS that has a NORTH 130 206 (stacked vertically) heading.

as of last night, the sign has been removed and not yet replaced.

the signs on that gantry are new, too - installed upon completion of the full-depth reconstruction just a few years back.

Those signs had been damaged by the contractor. They replaced them after the project was completed.

The contractor also damaged the 295 South gantry at Interchange 45. The entire gantry structure was replaced in full.  After that, NJDOT remove the 295 North structure at Int. 45. That still hasn't been replaced.

Note to contractor: Lower your equipment!!!

Signs at Int. 52 were damaged SB and removed NB, not Int. 45.

(edit:was/were)

[jeffandnicole]

Oh yeah, that's right!

[J Route Z]

The overhead signs at exit 52 on 295 are still not repaired since the repaving in 2011: http://goo.gl/maps/CFA7B I drove there last night.

[Zeffy]

Good one: http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2015/01/oversized_trucks_force_shut_down_of_franklin_bridg.html#incart_river

However, I guess to the truckers' credit, I don't see any signs about a weight limit on the bridge.

[roadman65]

The overhead signs at exit 52 on 295 are still not repaired since the repaving in 2011: http://goo.gl/maps/CFA7B I drove there last night.

I remember this particular bridge.  It was the first gantry to feature exit numbers on it despite I-295 not having numbers yet assigned to it yet.  I used to wonder why they place exit numbers here and nowhere else on I-295 except south of the US 130 split near Repaupo at the time.

Ah this is nothing as the same went on I-495 (now NJ 495) at the SB ramp to US 1& 9 in North Bergen back in the late 70's.  The overhead sign was removed and for years the supports sat there alone, but no truss.

Also in Newark at the former SB viaduct near Ironbound as the Wilson Avenue overhead sign got removed, and never replaced until almost 10 years later when NJDOT replaced the SB viaduct even when there was the pull through guide on SB US 1 &9 at  previous Raymond Boulevard exit that listed Wilson Avenue as control point which needed that missing gantry to follow up on it later.

[Mr. Matté]

However, I guess to the truckers' credit, I don't see any signs about a weight limit on the bridge.

At the bridge itself, there's this eastbound (at least in 2011). The sign before the bridge at CR 533 in Millstone is pretty ambiguous, having seen it for the first time*, it looks like the 14 ton limit is for those making a left turn. One thing I like about the one-lane bunny-hop bridges of Hunterdon County, the signs will tell you on the road itself the weight limit and post the mileage to the bridge.

And heading westbound, there's no sign at the county road preceding the bridge (Elizabeth Avenue - CR 621) and the sign at the bridge would've probably been hidden by the house that forces that awful curve in the road in East Millstone.

* I've biked on 514 many times but I never read the weight limits-- I'm not that fat

[DrSmith]

It can take a while to get things replaced if there is a lot of insurance go around, etc.  The Westbound I-84 3/4 advance exit sign for Exit 63 in Manchester, CT was hit in 2009 and took 3-4 years to get fully replaced.  Plenty of others have seen similar fates and sometimes lengthy replacement times.

Anyways, just for memories, here's an article with a picture  http://jalopnik.com/5164830/driver-discovers-new-way-to-wheelie-dump-truck
Or the Hartford Courant article (without picture)   http://articles.courant.com/2009-03-05/news/truckrescue0305.art_1_truck-s-cab-truck-crash-dump

[cl94]

It can take a while to get things replaced if there is a lot of insurance go around, etc.  The Westbound I-84 3/4 advance exit sign for Exit 63 in Manchester, CT was hit in 2009 and took 3-4 years to get fully replaced.  Plenty of others have seen similar fates and sometimes lengthy replacement times.

Anyways, just for memories, here's an article with a picture  http://jalopnik.com/5164830/driver-discovers-new-way-to-wheelie-dump-truck
Or the Hartford Courant article (without picture)   http://articles.courant.com/2009-03-05/news/truckrescue0305.art_1_truck-s-cab-truck-crash-dump

Please. This "temporary" sign has been on I-88 near Binghamton for 10 years and hasn't been replaced.

[jeffandnicole]

The overhead signs at exit 52 on 295 are still not repaired since the repaving in 2011: http://goo.gl/maps/CFA7B I drove there last night.

This sign assembly wasn't damaged. NJDOT took it down sometime in 2012, maybe 2013. There's several other examples like this, including Rt. 55 at Exit 58. There's probably legit reasons why the signs were removed, such as a structural issue. It'll be nice though if NJDOT could be a little quicker on replacing them though.

[Zeffy]

At the bridge itself, there's this eastbound (at least in 2011). The sign before the bridge at CR 533 in Millstone is pretty ambiguous, having seen it for the first time*, it looks like the 14 ton limit is for those making a left turn. One thing I like about the one-lane bunny-hop bridges of Hunterdon County, the signs will tell you on the road itself the weight limit and post the mileage to the bridge.

Hmm, I've driven 514 from the east end in West Amwell all the way into New Brunswick many times, and I don't remember seeing that sign there. I might have to do a double check the next time I'm out that way.

* I've biked on 514 many times but I never read the weight limits-- I'm not that fat

Most massive trucks shouldn't be on some county roads in the first place honestly, and they should just stick to freeways like the Turnpike and Parkway (exceptions apply of course, but still, the amount of trucks I've seen on these back roads is ridiculous, all in the hopes of avoiding traffic or tolls or whatever).

[Alps]

At the bridge itself, there's this eastbound (at least in 2011). The sign before the bridge at CR 533 in Millstone is pretty ambiguous, having seen it for the first time*, it looks like the 14 ton limit is for those making a left turn. One thing I like about the one-lane bunny-hop bridges of Hunterdon County, the signs will tell you on the road itself the weight limit and post the mileage to the bridge.

Hmm, I've driven 514 from the east end in West Amwell all the way into New Brunswick many times, and I don't remember seeing that sign there. I might have to do a double check the next time I'm out that way.

* I've biked on 514 many times but I never read the weight limits-- I'm not that fat

Most massive trucks shouldn't be on some county roads in the first place honestly, and they should just stick to freeways like the Turnpike and Parkway (exceptions apply of course, but still, the amount of trucks I've seen on these back roads is ridiculous, all in the hopes of avoiding traffic or tolls or whatever).

514 suffers from a lack of NJ 74 or 92.

[Zeffy]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/nj_weather_icy_roads.html#incart_river

Traffic is a MESS this morning, and maybe throughout the entirety of the day. Here's the important bits:

• All DRPA bridges are CLOSED (Commodore Barry Bridge seems to be reopened with a 15 MPH speed limit)
• New Jersey Turnpike has a speed limit of 35 MPH for the entire length of the highway, from the Delaware Memorial Bridge all the way up to the George Washington Bridge
• Many PANYNJ bridges are closed
• Speed restriction of 35 MPH on the Garden State Parkway from exit 116 to exit 160
• Black ice reported in multiple NJ counties

Guys, if you have to drive today for any reason, take it slow, there is a LOT of ice not just on the roads but on the sidewalks as well. [/list]

[02 Park Ave]

Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman Bridges remain closed westbound only.

All other movements on DRPA bridges and BC bridges are OK but at greatly reduced speed limits.

[Pete from Boston]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/nj_weather_icy_roads.html#incart_river

Traffic is a MESS this morning, and maybe throughout the entirety of the day. Here's the important bits:

• All DRPA bridges are CLOSED (Commodore Barry Bridge seems to be reopened with a 15 MPH speed limit)
• New Jersey Turnpike has a speed limit of 35 MPH for the entire length of the highway, from the Delaware Memorial Bridge all the way up to the George Washington Bridge
• Many PANYNJ bridges are closed
• Speed restriction of 35 MPH on the Garden State Parkway from exit 116 to exit 160
• Black ice reported in multiple NJ counties

Guys, if you have to drive today for any reason, take it slow, there is a LOT of ice not just on the roads but on the sidewalks as well. [/list]

Oddly, it's well up into the 40s in Eastern Massachusetts today.

[J Route Z]

The Outerbridge and Goethals Bridges were closed this morning as well. http://patch.com/new-jersey/ridgewood/freezing-rain-advisory-bergen-county-effect-until-11-am-sunday

[PHLBOS]

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/nj_weather_icy_roads.html#incart_river

Traffic is a MESS this morning, and maybe throughout the entirety of the day. Here's the important bits:

• All DRPA bridges are CLOSED (Commodore Barry Bridge seems to be reopened with a 15 MPH speed limit)
• New Jersey Turnpike has a speed limit of 35 MPH for the entire length of the highway, from the Delaware Memorial Bridge all the way up to the George Washington Bridge
• Many PANYNJ bridges are closed
• Speed restriction of 35 MPH on the Garden State Parkway from exit 116 to exit 160
• Black ice reported in multiple NJ counties

Guys, if you have to drive today for any reason, take it slow, there is a LOT of ice not just on the roads but on the sidewalks as well. [/list]

Oddly, it's well up into the 40s in Eastern Massachusetts today.

It was 51 degrees at kickoff in Foxboro.

[Zeffy]

Another bridge bites the dust... well, sort of

Another deteriorated bridge was closed by transportation officials one hour after inspecting it on Friday.

The bridge, which takes Amwell Road across the D&R Canal in Franklin Township, Somerset County, will remain closed for at least 30 days until it can be repaired and reopened. However officials said that work is only temporary and that it ultimately has to be replaced.

The Franklin bridge is the second deteriorating span shut down this year. On Jan. 12, Fox announced that the Prospect Street Bridge in Dover had been closed to traffic because engineers deemed it too feeble to carry the weight of traffic.

Fox warned the audience of transportation officials and professionals at the Jan. 12 meeting of North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, which represents 13 northern New Jersey counties, that more bridges could be closed.

There are 500 bridges around the state which are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, meaning they will need some kind of work, Fox said.

[Pete from Boston]

From today's Bergen Record:

N.J. transportation chief orders immediate review of state's bridges


The fight over New Jersey's nearly-broke transportation fund ratcheted up two notches Tuesday when Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox called for immediate safety inspections on every bridge in the state and local officials were warned not to count on $200 million in state transportation aid this year.

...

Fox's inspection order came hours after the collapse of an interstate bridge in Cincinnati, and after the department closed a smaller bridge in New Jersey that engineers discovered was unsafe.[/list]

http://www.northjersey.com/mobile/news/n-j-transportation-chief-orders-immediate-review-of-state-s-bridges-1.1228720

[jeffandnicole]

Ok, I promise I'm not going to show pics of all the new BGSs around 295. But there is a new one for the the scenic view stop on 295 South.  It looks nothing like the old one that was there. It doesn't even look like the new sign on the northbound side. Unless someone beats me to it, I'll try to grab a pic on Monday. It no doubt will become a favorite of yours. It may even be a example of fine art. Just wait...

I noticed they also took down the Exit 56 overhead BGS at the exit ramp, but they didn't out the new one up yet. 

[J Route Z]

Ok, I promise I'm not going to show pics of all the new BGSs around 295. But there is a new one for the the scenic view stop on 295 South.  It looks nothing like the old one that was there. It doesn't even look like the new sign on the northbound side. Unless someone beats me to it, I'll try to grab a pic on Monday. It no doubt will become a favorite of yours. It may even be a example of fine art. Just wait...

I noticed they also took down the Exit 56 overhead BGS at the exit ramp, but they didn't out the new one up yet.

Naw post them! I mean, how many new signs do you think they installed there? Also, how come they are replacing these signs?

[jeffandnicole]

Ok, I promise I'm not going to show pics of all the new BGSs around 295. But there is a new one for the the scenic view stop on 295 South.  It looks nothing like the old one that was there. It doesn't even look like the new sign on the northbound side. Unless someone beats me to it, I'll try to grab a pic on Monday. It no doubt will become a favorite of yours. It may even be a example of fine art. Just wait...

[PHLBOS]

Time to bring this out from the dustbin:

[Zeffy]

^ I was on 295 yesterday in that area, but heading north instead, so I didn't get to see it. Good thing I didn't, I would've gouged my eyes out.

Also, A 2.7m job to rehabilitate the Trenton Makes bridge is set to start in March this year.