Car driving through flooded road.
Car driving through flooded road.

Flooding shuts US 40 in Atlantic County as crashes and delays snarl New Jersey commute

Posted by
1 min read
August 18, 2025

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – A wave of severe traffic disruptions swept across New Jersey on Monday evening, with flooding closing down a major highway in Egg Harbor Township and crashes clogging up key routes from the Turnpike to the George Washington Bridge during the height of rush hour.

All lanes of US Route 40 west of the Atlantic City Expressway were shut down as of 5:48 p.m. due to heavy flooding, making the road completely impassable in both directions. The closure left drivers stranded and forced major detours just as commuter volume hit its peak.

Compounding the chaos, a crash at 5:51 p.m. on NJ Route 3 eastbound near the Garden State Parkway in Clifton blocked two of four lanes, intensifying delays in the already congested corridor.

Further south, a crash on NJ Route 42 northbound near Exit 10B in Gloucester Township caused more backups, with the left shoulder blocked as emergency responders worked the scene. Around the same time, another crash partially closed the northbound entrance ramp to the New Jersey Turnpike Eastern Spur at Interchange 15E in Newark.

In Manhattan, eastbound traffic on the George Washington Bridge upper level slowed due to a crash on the Upper Trans Manhattan Expressway. One center lane was blocked, adding to bridge travel times that already hovered around 25 minutes from I-80 to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge.

A disabled truck on the Western Spur of the New Jersey Turnpike also contributed to delays near Interchange 15E in Newark, with the right lane blocked.

Meanwhile, heavy volume alone was enough to cause miles-long delays on the Garden State Parkway, Pulaski Skyway, I-280, and both the Eastern and Western Spurs of the Turnpike. Some stretches saw congestion as long as six miles.

The combined impact of weather-related road closures and accident-related lane blockages created one of the most difficult evening commutes of the summer so far.

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Key Points

  • Flooding shut down all lanes of US Route 40 in Egg Harbor Township Monday evening
  • Crashes and disabled vehicles snarled multiple routes including NJ 3, NJ 42, the Turnpike, and GWB
  • Delays stretched for miles across major highways statewide during peak evening commute

Storm runoff and wrecks collided to create traffic gridlock across New Jersey just in time for rush hour.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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