NEWARK, N.J. – Commuters across North Jersey faced a rough start to the morning rush as multiple crashes and heavy volume caused delays on major highways and bridges.
The most serious backup was on Route 21 northbound, where a crash in Belleville closed two of three lanes between Exits 6 and 8.
In South Jersey, all lanes of U.S. 40 remained closed in both directions near Porchtown Road in Franklin Township following an early-morning crash.
Scattered incidents and debris added to the congestion statewide.
Crashes and closures slow key routes
State police reported a crash on U.S. 22 eastbound in Newark just west of Route 21, closing one lane, and another crash on Route 21 northbound in Nutley continuing to block two lanes. On U.S. 46 westbound in Clifton, debris near Randolph Avenue shut down the right lane, forcing traffic to merge left.
Delays stretched across the Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and major approach roads to the Hudson crossings.
Turnpike, Parkway, and Hudson crossings backed up
Northbound traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike’s Western Spur crawled for more than three miles from the Southern Mixing Bowl in Newark to Interchange 15W in Kearny, while the Express Lanes backed up two miles into the George Washington Bridge. The bridge itself saw travel times of 20 minutes on the lower level and 35 minutes on the upper level from I-80 to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge.
Elsewhere, Garden State Parkway southbound drivers faced delays exiting at 130 toward U.S. 1 in Woodbridge, and Route 139 eastbound into Jersey City remained heavy but moving.
Moderate congestion continues on secondary highways
Route 3 westbound in Clifton, U.S. 1&9 southbound through North Bergen, and I-280 westbound near Parsippany all experienced steady volume with no lane closures. Drivers on Route 29 northbound through Trenton and Route 4 and 208 in Bergen County also encountered typical morning slowdowns.
Commuters were urged to expect lingering backups through mid-morning as crash scenes cleared and residual delays eased along key North Jersey corridors.
Morning crashes and volume delays slowed travel across North Jersey highways and Hudson crossings during Wednesday’s rush hour.