NEWARK, NJ – A sheet of ice turned New Jersey’s highways into a frozen obstacle course Friday night, forcing statewide speed restrictions, salting operations, and a wave of crashes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to the George Washington Bridge.
From 5 p.m. onward, reports of spinouts, disabled vehicles, and multi-lane closures poured in as freezing rain hardened across the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, and I-80. Traffic on both major toll roads slowed to a crawl under emergency 35- and 45-mph limits while plows and salt trucks battled deteriorating pavement conditions.
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By 7:17 p.m., the Garden State Parkway was under a 35-mph advisory from Sayreville to Tinton Falls due to accumulating snow and ice. Similar restrictions blanketed nearly the entire Turnpike, where salting and plowing operations extended from Barrington in the south to Ridgefield in the north.
Drivers faced treacherous conditions on both inner and outer roadways, including the Hudson County Extension and the Eastern and Western Spurs, all under speed caps amid active road treatment.
Multiple crashes compounded the gridlock. A collision at the Thomas Edison Service Area in Woodbridge blocked a right lane, while another accident north of Colonia Service Area jammed northbound Parkway traffic. In East Windsor, a series of Turnpike crashes shut down right lanes on both inner and outer roadways. Farther north, accidents in Clifton, Aberdeen, and Wayne snarled the Parkway and I-80, while a fallen utility pole in Neptune forced a full closure of NJ 33 in both directions.
Emergency response crews worked continuously through the evening as drivers spun out on black ice and shoulders filled with disabled vehicles. Plows and salt spreaders remained in heavy rotation on the Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway, where the New Jersey Turnpike Authority urged motorists to move over for highway workers.
Despite ongoing treatment, conditions remained hazardous well into the night as freezing rain refroze on untreated stretches. Transportation officials warned motorists to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary, citing widespread icing, reduced visibility, and a growing number of roadway incidents.
Authorities said the speed limits would stay in effect until temperatures rise enough for salt and brine to take hold. Drivers across the state reported slick overpasses, refreezing ramps, and long delays on major corridors leading to the shore and through central Jersey.
Freezing rain brought New Jersey’s highway network to a standstill Friday, with dozens of crashes and 35-mph speed limits blanketing the state’s main roads.