NEWARK, N.J. – Wednesday’s morning rush brought widespread delays across North Jersey, with heavy congestion at the Hudson River crossings and multiple slowdowns along the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.
The George Washington Bridge saw 30-minute eastbound travel times on both upper and lower levels from I-80 to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge as of 8:39 a.m. The Lincoln Tunnel reported 20-minute waits from the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 16E to Manhattan through both the center and south tubes, while Holland Tunnel commuters faced 25-minute delays from Exit 14C in Jersey City and 20 minutes from NJ-139 at Tonnelle Circle.
On the highways, volume created extended backups on the Garden State Parkway southbound between Irvington and Clark, with delays of up to five miles through Exits 142 to 135. Northbound traffic was also heavy through Irvington, East Orange, Bloomfield, and Woodbridge, with several stretches reporting two- to five-mile queues.
The New Jersey Turnpike saw 1½- to 2-mile northbound delays along both the eastern and western spurs near Newark, while traffic on the outer roadway backed up near Interchange 14 in Elizabeth. In Somerset County, congestion slowed I-287 southbound from Exit 14 to Exit 13 in Bridgewater.
Elsewhere, a downed pole on US-22 eastbound near Warren Street in Phillipsburg closed one right lane and caused localized backups. In Trenton, NJ-29 northbound traffic was slow from I-295 to Warren Street, while roadwork on I-678 southbound near Terminal 4 at JFK Airport in New York closed one left lane, affecting southbound drivers headed toward New Jersey.
Commuters were urged to allow extra time as morning traffic remained heavy through the Hudson crossings and central North Jersey corridors.
Bridge and tunnel delays, combined with Parkway and Turnpike congestion, made for a sluggish Wednesday morning commute across North Jersey.