I-95 through the Meadowlands

[longhorn]

Can someone explain to me how it is there are two I-95 expressways through Secaucus? They break off then reunite.

[froggie]

New Jersey Turnpike thread (as I-95 is part of the Turnpike on both legs):  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11190.0

[AMLNet49]

Can someone explain to me how it is there are two I-95 expressways through Secaucus? They break off then reunite.

...I-95 is part of the Turnpike on both legs.

The Eastern spur (Exits 15X, 16E, 17) is I-95. The Western spur is unsigned NJ Route 95W. So there are not "two I-95s". There are two legs of the Turnpike, but only one is I-95.

The NJTP, however, usually signs the Western spur as I-95, but this is 100% incorrect of them to do.

[jeffandnicole]

Can someone explain to me how it is there are two I-95 expressways through Secaucus? They break off then reunite.

...I-95 is part of the Turnpike on both legs.

The Eastern spur (Exits 15X, 16E, 17) is I-95. The Western spur is unsigned NJ Route 95W. So there are not "two I-95s". There are two legs of the Turnpike, but only one is I-95.

The NJTP, however, usually signs the Western spur as I-95, but this is 100% incorrect of them to do.

The above info doesn't appear to be 100% correct either.

This FHWA map shows both the eastern and western spur is interstate highway: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/new_jersey/nynewark_nj.pdf

And the NJDOT Straight Line Diagrams indicates I-95 uses the Eastern Spur, while I-95W is the Western Spur.

http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000095__-.pdf
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/refdata/sldiag/00000095W_-.pdf

[The Ghostbuster]

Was the second spur constructed to relieve congestion on the original alignment?

[froggie]

Was the second spur constructed to relieve congestion on the original alignment?

Yes.

[Alps]

The Westerly Alignment was constructed to serve the Meadowlands as much as it was to help through volumes. Indications are that if one had to be chosen for I-95, it would be the Westerly, since that's the through route. Easterly was the original I-95, which is why the Westerly was later named -W, but it mainly serves the Lincoln Tunnel and could become an x95.

[Duke87]

In what way, other than current signage, is the western spur a more logical through route? Seems to me that since the eastern spur maintains six lanes throughout while the western drops to four at the north end, the eastern has more through capacity and therefore should be the through route. The western spur is also prone to congestion generated by events at the Meadowlands while the eastern suffers no such problem.

For these reasons, if I am heading south on the turnpike from the GWB I always take the eastern spur.

[longhorn]

Can someone explain to me how it is there are two I-95 expressways through Secaucus? They break off then reunite.

...I-95 is part of the Turnpike on both legs.

The Eastern spur (Exits 15X, 16E, 17) is I-95. The Western spur is unsigned NJ Route 95W. So there are not "two I-95s". There are two legs of the Turnpike, but only one is I-95.

The NJTP, however, usually signs the Western spur as I-95, but this is 100% incorrect of them to do.

RandMcNally and Iphone, and Google mpas states both are I-95, I am sure there is a reason for it, I just want to know why?

[jeffandnicole]

Can someone explain to me how it is there are two I-95 expressways through Secaucus? They break off then reunite.

...I-95 is part of the Turnpike on both legs.

The Eastern spur (Exits 15X, 16E, 17) is I-95. The Western spur is unsigned NJ Route 95W. So there are not "two I-95s". There are two legs of the Turnpike, but only one is I-95.

The NJTP, however, usually signs the Western spur as I-95, but this is 100% incorrect of them to do.

RandMcNally and Iphone, and Google mpas states both are I-95, I am sure there is a reason for it, I just want to know why?

It's almost as if they treat it like a Express & Local lane setup, or HOV/HOT & General Purpose lane setup.  Neither use a separate designation for the Express/HOV/HOT, but they can have different exits from the regular lanes. 

Yes, I know, it's not quite like that due to the completely separate roadways, but it's a close comparison.

[vdeane]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes and is likely why the Turnpike encourages people to use that route.  I imagine the Eastern getting the "real" I-95 is due to the Lincoln Tunnel having been I-495 before it was decommissioned.

[NJRoadfan]

The western spur also is the flatter route as it doesn't have to cross the Hackensack River on a high bridge along with Snake Hill. If there is an event at the Meadowlands, the flip signs change and direct through travel to the eastern spur.

[Pete from Boston]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes and is likely why the Turnpike encourages people to use that route.  I imagine the Eastern getting the "real" I-95 is due to the Lincoln Tunnel having been I-495 before it was decommissioned.

That's a good point but I assumed it was simply because it came first.

[jeffandnicole]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes and is likely why the Turnpike encourages people to use that route.  I imagine the Eastern getting the "real" I-95 is due to the Lincoln Tunnel having been I-495 before it was decommissioned.

That's a good point but I assumed it was simply because it came first.

It was easier to implement.  They did consider doing it with 16E/18E, but trying to implement ORT with 2 exit possibilities within a single toll plaza was something they decided against.  There's basically 2 ways to do it: Leave the ORTs off to the side, either/and 18E to the left and 16E to the right.  Or they could put it in the middle, which would still need 4 ORT lanes - 2 for 16E, 2 for 18E - and that would eliminate the ability to shift the number of lanes open for either plaza.

[Alps]

In what way, other than current signage, is the western spur a more logical through route? Seems to me that since the eastern spur maintains six lanes throughout while the western drops to four at the north end, the eastern has more through capacity and therefore should be the through route. The western spur is also prone to congestion generated by events at the Meadowlands while the eastern suffers no such problem.

For these reasons, if I am heading south on the turnpike from the GWB I always take the eastern spur.

You deal with heavy Lincoln Tunnel traffic then.

[empirestate]

The western spur also is the flatter route as it doesn't have to cross the Hackensack River on a high bridge along with Snake Hill. If there is an event at the Meadowlands, the flip signs change and direct through travel to the eastern spur.

Yeah, normally the western spur is signed for thru traffic, with the eastern spur appearing on signs as simply the exit for the Lincoln Tunnel, etc. But if something gums up the western spur they can change the signs to make the eastern spur the primary route.


iPhone

[ixnay]

RandMcNally and Iphone, and Google mpas states both are I-95, I am sure there is a reason for it, I just want to know why?

My 2015 R-McN, on the main NJ map, shows the NJTP spurs as 95E and 95W.  However, the Newark/Jersey City enlargement (as well as the metro NYC enlargement a few pages later) show both spurs as 95 (no E or W).

ixnay

[Duke87]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes and is likely why the Turnpike encourages people to use that route.  I imagine the Eastern getting the "real" I-95 is due to the Lincoln Tunnel having been I-495 before it was decommissioned.

Nope and nope.

The encouraging of "thru traffic" to use the western spur has existed since before there were any ORT lanes, since before there was even any EZpass at all, and indeed as long as I can remember. The reason, as has been touched on, is to try and segregate Lincoln Tunnel bound traffic (which can only sensibly use the eastern spur) from GWB bound traffic (which can sensibly use either). Using the eastern spur as a thru route is great for avoiding Meadowlands traffic, but of course if everyone did it the benefit would go away so NJTA actively discourages it by lying with their signage and signing the eastern spur as an exit.

As for eastern getting the "real" I-95, it's not (directly) because of 495. It's because that section of the turnpike was designated as I-95 pretty much right when the interstate system was created, whereas the western spur did not open until 1970.

[KEVIN_224]

My I-95 question in New Jersey is just north of the east and west spurs and the Vince Lombardi service area:

Is the US Route 46 exit northbound unsigned NJ Turnpike exit 18?

Why does I-95 continue the mileage-based exit sequence of I-80, considering the 4 miles from the junction in Teaneck to the GW Bridge isn't I-80 at all? Was it so they didn't have to use NJ Turnpike numbered exits, have a separate field of exit 1 to whatever to the GW Bridge...or both?

[jeffandnicole]

My I-95 question in New Jersey is just north of the east and west spurs and the Vince Lombardi service area:

Is the US Route 46 exit northbound unsigned NJ Turnpike exit 18?

Why does I-95 continue the mileage-based exit sequence of I-80, considering the 4 miles from the junction in Teaneck to the GW Bridge isn't I-80 at all? Was it so they didn't have to use NJ Turnpike numbered exits, have a separate field of exit 1 to whatever to the GW Bridge...or both?

As I mentioned recently, the NJ Turnpike uses 'Interchanges' to mark their toll barriers and toll plazas.  You're still exiting the road at Exit 5, Exit 11, etc, but that's just lining up with the Interchange you are at.  US 46 is just an unnumbered exit, rather than unsigned Exit 18. The same condition occurs on the southern end of the NJ Turnpike where there's no number for the southbound exit for Rt. 140, along with no number for the northbound exit for US 40.

As incredible as it sounds, those exit numbers were based on I-95 mileage at the time, which started at Exit 6 (as opposed to interchange 6) of the NJ Turnpike.  If you were to do a distance search from the ramp area of the PA Turnpike Extension and the NJ Turnpike Mainline to those exits you are referring to, the exit number should be within 1 mile of the mileage from Exit 6.

Since I-95 is now considered part of the PA Extension, the numbers are a little off now.  But as close and much of a coincidence is it is, those exit numbers are really I-95 mileage based, not I-80 mileage based.

[ixnay]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes

ORT as in "open road tolling" per Wiki.  (So *that's* what roadgeeks call what I call "high speed EZPass lanes"...   )

[1995hoo]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes

ORT as in "open road tolling" per Wiki.  (So *that's* what roadgeeks call what I call "high speed EZPass lanes...   )

I recall reading that New Jersey specifically avoided calling them "high-speed lanes" out of concern people would misinterpret it to mean they could go fast. The issue first arose, IIRC, when they opened the single "express" lane on the Pennsylvania Extension. Since it's not a "true" ORT lane, it has a lower speed limit that is still higher than converted toll plaza lanes have. They didn't want people thinking it was OK to go through that lane at full highway speed.

[jeffandnicole]

The Western Spur has ORT lanes

ORT as in "open road tolling" per Wiki.  (So *that's* what roadgeeks call what I call "high speed EZPass lanes...   )

To be technical, that's the industry standard name of those lanes...not just roadgeeks use it! :-)

I recall reading that New Jersey specifically avoided calling them "high-speed lanes" out of concern people would misinterpret it to mean they could go fast. The issue first arose, IIRC, when they opened the single "express" lane on the Pennsylvania Extension. Since it's not a "true" ORT lane, it has a lower speed limit that is still higher than converted toll plaza lanes have. They didn't want people thinking it was OK to go through that lane at full highway speed.

When they first opened that Int. 6 ORT lane, it was signed at 45 mph.  Today, there's no separate speed limit for that lane, which defaults it to 55 or 65 mph (I forget what's signed in that area) for that stretch of roadway.

[KEVIN_224]

Thank you Jeff! (And Nicole!) That numbering scheme always confuses the hell out of me!

Also, maybe I'm wrong, but heading north at the Secaucus toll plaza, didn't the older neon signs say "EXIT 16 - Lincoln Tunnel" and "EXIT 18- GW Bridge"? (I know the exit for NJ 495/Lincoln Tunnel from southbound I-95 is Exit 17.)

[jeffandnicole]

Looking up the NJ Drivers Manual for another thread, some things caught my eye:

A)  The manual is way longer than it used to be
B)  Pertaining to this thread, there's a section regarding toll booths.  They specifically mention "High Speed EZ Pass Lanes".  (And technically, the correct spelling is E-ZPass, which no one uses except on the EZ Pass websites)