Road closures in Morristown, Denville and Woodbury joined crashes on Route 24, Route 21 and I-287 as commuters faced lengthy Garden State Parkway backups Friday morning.
NEW JERSEY — Friday morning commuters faced a difficult start across North and South Jersey, with water and gas main breaks shutting several major roads, multiple crashes blocking travel lanes and Garden State Parkway delays stretching as long as 10 miles.
By shortly before 8 a.m., some of the most significant problems were concentrated in Morris County, where utility emergencies closed portions of Route 202, Route 53 and Route 124.
Morristown Hit by Two Major Road Closures
A water main break shut Route 202 in both directions at Route 24/County Route 510/Washington Street in Morristown as of 7:59 a.m.
Just blocks away, a gas main break closed Route 124 in both directions near Madison Street and Elm Street.
Drivers traveling through Morristown were being forced onto alternate routes during the peak morning commute.
In nearby Denville, another water main break shut all southbound lanes of Route 53 north of Front Street.
Crashes Slow Route 24, Route 21 and I-287
A crash on Route 24 westbound east of Exit 1 for Whippany Road in Morris Township closed the right lane and shoulder shortly before 8 a.m.
Delays were also reported in the area.
On Route 21 northbound in Nutley, a crash north of Exit 8 at Park Avenue blocked two of the highway’s three lanes along with the right shoulder.
An overturned vehicle on I-287 southbound north of Exit 30 at North Maple Avenue in Harding Township also closed the left lane.
On the New Jersey Turnpike Western Spur, a crash blocked the left lane of the northbound exit ramp at Interchange 16W for Route 3 in East Rutherford.
Garden State Parkway Backups Stretch for Miles
The Garden State Parkway was seeing some of the morning’s longest traffic backups.
Southbound traffic was delayed for approximately six miles between the Bloomfield and Irvington areas.
Northbound commuters faced an even longer backup, with delays stretching roughly 10 miles from south of Exit 143 in Irvington to Exit 153A for Route 3 in Clifton.
All lanes remained open through those stretches, but heavy volume was significantly slowing traffic.
Sewer Collapse Shuts Route 45 in Woodbury
South Jersey drivers were dealing with a complete closure of Route 45 in Woodbury because of a sewer collapse.
The highway was closed in both directions between South Evergreen Avenue and Salem Avenue.
Farther south, emergency construction on the Atlantic City Expressway westbound west of Exit 28 for Route 54 in Hammonton closed two right lanes.
Drivers were being warned to expect major delays through that area.
Holland Tunnel Running About 25 Minutes
The Holland Tunnel was also experiencing morning delays.
As of 7:47 a.m., travel time to the New York side was approximately 25 minutes from both New Jersey Turnpike Exit 14C and Route 139 at Tonnelle Circle.
Westbound traffic on I-280 was also delayed between the I-80 area and Exit 47B for Route 46 in Parsippany-Troy Hills.
Motorists heading out Friday morning should allow extra travel time and watch for changing closures as utility crews, emergency responders and police continue working at several active scenes.