Evening rush hour across New Jersey dragged into chaos Thursday as multiple traffic disruptions slowed or stopped movement on key highways and crossings into New York City.
A traffic signal malfunction on US 30 in Haddon Heights led to a full closure in both directions east of Kings Highway shortly before 7 p.m. Earlier, one lane had remained closed eastbound while westbound lanes reopened.
Volume-related delays plagued the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Pulaski Skyway, with backups ranging from 2 to 11 miles. Turnpike drivers on the Eastern Spur southbound faced a 3-mile crawl from Interchange 17E in Secaucus to Interchange 15X near the Secaucus Train Station.
The Garden State Parkway was especially impacted, with an 11-mile southbound delay reported between Wall Township and Toms River and another 8-mile delay further north in Union Township.
Cross-Hudson travel suffered as well. The Holland Tunnel eastbound backed up with travel times nearing 30 minutes from both NJ Turnpike Exit 14C and NJ 139 at Tonnelle Circle. The Lincoln Tunnel mirrored the slowdown with a 30-minute crossing from Exit 16E. Meanwhile, all levels of the George Washington Bridge saw 20-minute delays in both directions.
Additional slowdowns occurred on NJ 495, the Pulaski Skyway, and the Western Spur of the Turnpike, with outer and inner roadway congestion stretching southbound between Newark and Elizabeth for five miles.
In Woodbridge Township, a ramp closure to Route 184 East from the southbound Garden State Parkway at Exit 129 remained in effect for a second straight day due to an outside agency assist.
Key Points
- Traffic signal failure shut down US 30 in Haddon Heights during evening rush
- Heavy volume caused widespread delays on Garden State Parkway and NJ Turnpike
- Cross-Hudson travel times reached up to 30 minutes at Holland and Lincoln tunnels
Evening traffic across New Jersey saw widespread gridlock as crashes, closures, and volume bottlenecks collided during peak hours.
