NEWARK, NJ – Commuters faced another rough start to the day Friday as crashes and heavy congestion clogged several of New Jersey’s busiest roadways during the morning rush hour.
A crash on I-80 westbound near Exit 57 in Paterson closed one of three lanes, backing up traffic for miles along the corridor.
Another collision on the Garden State Parkway southbound near Exit 148 in Bloomfield also shut down a left lane, compounding delays in Essex County.
Key Points
- Crashes on I-80 in Paterson and Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield reduced lanes and caused significant backups
- Major delays reported on the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, and New Jersey Turnpike
- Heavy northbound volume on Garden State Parkway stretching from Lakewood to East Orange
Both levels of the George Washington Bridge were jammed by 8:16 a.m., with travel times reaching 60 minutes on the upper level and 45 minutes on the lower level from I-80 to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge. The Lincoln Tunnel saw similar gridlock, with eastbound travel through both the center and south tunnels taking about 20 minutes from the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 16E to Manhattan.
The New Jersey Turnpike’s Eastern Spur was slow-moving between Newark and Kearny, with a two-mile delay northbound due to volume. The Western Spur was also congested between the Southern Mixing Bowl and Interchange 15W. Northbound delays continued up to the George Washington Bridge, where a three-mile backup developed near Fort Lee.
Morning commuters traveling north on the Parkway faced multiple slow zones. Heavy traffic built from Lakewood to Brick with a two-and-a-half-mile delay. In Essex County, congestion extended from East Orange to Nutley, with a three-mile backup. Further south, pockets of volume near Kenilworth and East Orange stretched six miles.
Motorists were urged to allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes as cleanup crews worked to clear crashes and morning congestion gradually eased into late morning.
