Commuters faced lengthy backups Monday morning as police activity on the George Washington Bridge, a water main break on Route 17, and heavy rush-hour traffic snarled major roadways throughout North Jersey.
The first full weekday of summer brought a difficult morning commute across northern New Jersey, with major delays reported on the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Garden State Parkway, and several key highways serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Morris counties.
One of the most significant incidents involved police activity on the George Washington Bridge lower level eastbound in Fort Lee, where one right lane was blocked near the bridge’s mid-span as of 7:45 a.m.
Water main break shuts down lanes on Route 17
A water main break in Hasbrouck Heights created one of the morning’s biggest traffic headaches.
As of 4:48 a.m., three of four southbound lanes on Route 17 near U.S. Route 46 remained closed, forcing traffic into a single travel lane during the height of the morning rush.
The incident added pressure to already congested Bergen County roadways, including Route 17 northbound between Hackensack and Rochelle Park and Route 4 eastbound through Teaneck.
Hudson River crossings see major backups
Drivers heading into New York City encountered lengthy travel times at all three major Hudson River crossings.
The George Washington Bridge reported travel times of approximately 45 minutes on Interstate 95 from Interstate 80 to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge on both the upper and lower levels.
At the Lincoln Tunnel, eastbound motorists faced travel times of about 45 minutes from New Jersey Turnpike Exit 16E to Manhattan through both the center and south tunnels.
The Holland Tunnel south tube reported a 30-minute trip from Turnpike Exit 14C and about 25 minutes from Route 139 at Tonnelle Circle.
Parkway and Turnpike traffic builds
The Garden State Parkway experienced several stretches of congestion during the morning commute.
A five-mile northbound delay developed between Bloomfield and Clifton, while additional northbound slowdowns were reported between Irvington and East Orange and between Clark and Cranford.
Southbound Parkway traffic was also backed up for approximately 3.5 miles between Bloomfield and Irvington.
Meanwhile, motorists on the New Jersey Turnpike northbound encountered delays approaching the U.S. Route 46 exit in Ridgefield because of heavy volume.
Delays reported throughout North Jersey
Additional traffic slowdowns were reported on several heavily traveled commuter routes, including:
- Route 3 eastbound from Secaucus to North Bergen
- Route 495 eastbound approaching the Lincoln Tunnel
- Pulaski Skyway northbound in Jersey City
- Route 139 Lower eastbound in Jersey City
- Interstate 80 westbound in Paterson and Elmwood Park
- Interstate 280 westbound through Harrison, Newark, and Parsippany
- Route 208 southbound in Wyckoff and Hawthorne
- Route 24 westbound in Millburn
- Route 21 northbound in Newark
- U.S. Route 206 southbound in Mount Olive
No major crashes were reported on many of the delayed roadways, with transportation officials attributing most backups to heavy commuter volume on the first full workday following the start of summer.
Key Points
• Police activity blocked a lane on the George Washington Bridge lower level eastbound during the morning commute.
• A water main break closed three of four southbound lanes on Route 17 in Hasbrouck Heights.
• Drivers faced travel times of up to 45 minutes at the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel, with widespread delays across North Jersey.