Car driving through flooded road.
Car driving through flooded road.

It’s a mess out there! Hurricane Erin brings rain and traffic problems to New Jersey’s morning commute

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1 min read
August 21, 2025

Hurricane Erin snarls New Jersey’s morning commute with crashes, delays, and debris

NEWARK, NJ — Rain and high winds from Hurricane Erin added chaos to New Jersey’s already-busy Thursday morning commute, triggering crashes, vehicle breakdowns, and widespread delays across major highways including the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

The worst incident as of 7:57 a.m. was a crash involving an overturned vehicle on the New Jersey Turnpike’s Western Spur northbound at the Interchange 16W entrance ramp in East Rutherford, where all lanes were blocked. Traffic was squeezing by on the right shoulder only, compounding delays in the area.

Elsewhere, a disabled bus on the Garden State Parkway northbound near the Judy Blume Service Area in Wall Township temporarily slowed traffic. All lanes remained open, but the breakdown added to congestion triggered by earlier issues.

In Edison Township, a crash on the inner roadway of the New Jersey Turnpike northbound just past Interchange 9 (NJ 18) blocked the right shoulder. While lanes stayed open, delays began building.

Adding to driver frustration, debris was reported on the Garden State Parkway northbound south of Exit 98 (NJ 138), also in Wall Township, forcing a left lane closure and further slowing traffic.

Multiple delays were reported systemwide, including:

  • 3.5-mile backup on the Turnpike Eastern Spur northbound from Newark to just past Interchange 15W (I-280) in Kearny
  • 2.5-mile delay on the Western Spur northbound from Newark to just south of 15W
  • 5.5-mile backup on the Garden State Parkway northbound from Newark to Nutley
  • Delays on both levels of the George Washington Bridge, with travel times of 40 minutes on the upper level and 20 minutes on the lower level

Route 17, Route 3, I-295, NJ 29, and several turnpike and parkway exits also saw minor to moderate slowdowns, with rainfall and reduced visibility likely contributing.

While all major bridges and tunnels remained open, heavy volume, wet roads, and wind gusts tied to Erin made for a longer-than-usual ride for thousands of Garden State commuters.

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Key Points

  • Hurricane Erin brought wet weather that contributed to major crashes and delays across New Jersey highways
  • An overturned vehicle blocked all lanes at Turnpike Interchange 16W, and debris forced a lane closure in Wall Township
  • Significant delays affected the Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and George Washington Bridge

Hurricane Erin stayed offshore, but its wrath was all over New Jersey’s highways this morning.

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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