Clues but No Full Account of Order That Turned a N.J. Town Into a Parking Lot

[Mr. Matté]

It may not have been done thoroughly/properly, though, i.e. as someone mentioned, involving a thorough traffic engineering study.

At least with the public-sector agencies I deal with, closing an access ramp as part of any study would not be allowed - by policy.

Not in Jersey!

(See also: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/press/2012/073012.shtm )

[cpzilliacus]

Not in Jersey!

(See also: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/press/2012/073012.shtm )

Relevant words (with emphasis added):

NJDOT has collected traffic volume and trip-time data at numerous locations in Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, West Windsor and Plainsboro prior to the trial and will continue to do so during the trial to evaluate the impacts of the restrictions.

After the conclusion of the trial, NJDOT will meet with stakeholders to present its findings as to whether the restrictions have proven to be effective in reducing Route 1 congestion and to discuss the extent of any secondary impacts on local streets and roads.

It sounds like NJDOT spent some time performing data collection and analysis and number crunching before reaching a decision to close some "U" turns and deny left turns (what, no jughandles?).

[jeffandnicole]

In the case of Rt. 1 there, they're trying to do everything but the most obvious solution (in my mind).  Seal off all the median openings.  Take out the traffic lights.  Built a few overpasses to allow for u-turns.  Instead, they keep coming up with all these plans to better the flow of traffic, but ultimately, it leaves the same number of intersections and traffic lights in place.

That experiment you linked was killed a few weeks before the end of the scheduled trial period: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/press/2012/101312.shtm. 

[Alps]

In the case of Rt. 1 there, they're trying to do everything but the most obvious solution (in my mind).  Seal off all the median openings.  Take out the traffic lights.  Built a few overpasses to allow for u-turns.  Instead, they keep coming up with all these plans to better the flow of traffic, but ultimately, it leaves the same number of intersections and traffic lights in place.

That experiment you linked was killed a few weeks before the end of the scheduled trial period: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/about/press/2012/101312.shtm. 

They don't have the money for overpasses. Also, you can't do that to a road like CR 526/571 where there's so much east-west traffic that needs to get through, it would just kill US 1. They've been trying to solve Penns Neck for decades, and they almost had it a few years ago, but just couldn't fund it. (Route 3/46 split is still on the table, and should have been done 7 years ago.)

[NJRoadfan]

The Penn's Neck Area EIS documents are still online: http://policy.rutgers.edu/vtc/pennsneckareaeis/

The preferred alternative involves interchanges.

[_Simon]

Robert Moses tore down a ferry dock while the ferry was still in operation, but the head of the port authority can't close some roads for a few fucking hours???  The media needs to stop humoring such bullshit.  Chris Christie is not only entitled to cause a traffic jams at-will, but I am encouraging him to do so every day outside the home of whoever the hell wrote this article.

And yes I know the whole story is nonsense.

[NE2]

Robert Moses was a bigger arsehole than Christie. Discuss.

[Alps]

Robert Moses was a bigger arsehole than Christie. Discuss.

NO

[vdeane]

Robert Moses tore down a ferry dock while the ferry was still in operation, but the head of the port authority can't close some roads for a few fucking hours???  The media needs to stop humoring such bullshit.  Chris Christie is not only entitled to cause a traffic jams at-will, but I am encouraging him to do so every day outside the home of whoever the hell wrote this article.

And yes I know the whole story is nonsense.

There's a difference between tearing something down for construction and closing something for a "study".  There's also a difference between the 1940s and the 2010s.

[_Simon]

Moses would have had the entire bridge plaza rebuilt overnight AND it would have had diaper changing tables for mothers. 

[NE2]

Moses would have also removed the access from poor communities to those diaper changing tables.

[_Simon]

Moses would have also removed the access from poor communities to those diaper changing tables.

The poor only cause traffic jams and are under-insured to begin with.  They should stay in the cookie-cutter housing projects Moses built for them.  The swimming pools in their neighborhoods have just the right temperature water.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Moses would part the Hudson River, leave it that way so his later namesake would just replace the Tappan Zee at grade.

[Alps]

Moses would part the Hudson River, leave it that way so his later namesake would just replace the Tappan Zee at grade.

I wonder if Moses was on board with the proposal to pave the East River and put freeways and an airport on it.

[NJRoadfan]

I wonder if Moses was on board with the proposal to pave the East River and put freeways and an airport on it.

They wanted to do that on the West Side.

Heck this guy wants to turn Central Park into one! (apparently he hasn't figured out that Queens is part of New York City)

[mc78andrew]

I think we are forgetting that fort lee is not a poor community. It has a median income of 66k and an average house price of 337k which is about average for NJ. I am surprised they are not snotty nimbys that want to close the ramp in favor of a green space or a bike rack. 

Great female to male ratio at 54 females to 46 males for all you young bachelors on NE2's tight budget that cannot afford manhattan or Hoboken. 

[HandsomeRob]

Emails link top Christie aide to GWB lane-closing controversy

[cpzilliacus]

Emails link top Christie aide to GWB lane-closing controversy

N.Y. Times also picked this report up.  As did the Washington Post.

This is pretty damning (from the NYT):

But the emails show that Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Christie's office, gave a signal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close the lanes about two weeks before the closings occurred.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,"  she emailed David Wildstein, Mr. Christie's close friend from high school, and one of his appointees at the Port Authority, which controls the bridge.

After the emails were released on Wednesday, Mr. Christie canceled his one public event for the day, which had been billed as an announcement of progress in the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

[DeaconG]

Emails link top Christie aide to GWB lane-closing controversy

N.Y. Times also picked this report up.  As did the Washington Post.

This is pretty damning (from the NYT):

But the emails show that Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Christie's office, gave a signal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close the lanes about two weeks before the closings occurred.

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,"  she emailed David Wildstein, Mr. Christie's close friend from high school, and one of his appointees at the Port Authority, which controls the bridge.

After the emails were released on Wednesday, Mr. Christie canceled his one public event for the day, which had been billed as an announcement of progress in the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

It's on the front page of CNN.com now.

Looks like it's time for some resignations and folks 'returning to the private sector'.

[jeffandnicole]

It's quite possible the governor didn't know about it.  I could send emails all day and never inform my supervisor about what I'm sending. 

unfortunately, anytime anything is remotely connected to the governor, it makes it sound like he is the guilty party. 

[Jardine]

We'll see if Christie has any heads on pikes outside the capitol building tomorrow.


(head rolling animatroid)

[mtantillo]

Well, I think there should be a shakeup at the Port Authority. What about those on the NY side? Did no one know? Clearly any Kind of "study" that would cause such an impact would have been known by top brass at Port Authority as well as the NY side. Clearly those who pulled this stunt need to go. I would hate to be a traffic engineer who signed and sealed this "traffic study...."

Edited to add:
Just to clarify, even the best traffic engineer can make a mistake, but if dangerous gridlock resulted on Day 1, the study should have been terminated immediately. But it sounds as if this wasn't really even a real traffic engineering study, that politician aides without the authority to conduct such studies decided to practice engineering without a license. I would have to say that i would be shocked if there were an actual study document, laying out the experiment, that had no provision for terminating the study if gridlock resulted. At the very least, they should have tried closing 1 lane instead of 2, and if that had okay results, then go down to one lane and see what happens. But from 3 to 1 at a heavily used ramp with no means for terminating the experiment if it fails....something is fishy. I doubt any engineer with experience would have thought this would be a good idea.

[mtantillo]

Just heard another story on the news:

-Some of the most affected by the unnecessary gridlock were school students who couldn't get to school because of traffic.

-A woman passed away because an ambulance couldn't get to someone having a medical emergency fast enough, due to gridlock. Perhaps some Christie aides and Port Authority officials would like to add manslaughter charges to their resumes when they look for new jobs?

[hbelkins]

Everything I've heard indicates there is nothing to document that any type of study was conducted.

[_Simon]

 I hope he did it and I hope he admits to doing it and does it again. I hope he goes on Good Morning America and says "I'll close any damn road I want, I'm the governor of New Jersey.".   If the people in Fort Lee didn't like traffic, they wouldn't be living there .. in between 95, 1, 9, 46, 4, 5, 63, 67, 9W, and the Palisades parkway.  There isn't a building in that town that doesn't have a view of the highway, they should have looked out the window before leaving the house (or moving in).