WOODBRIDGE, NJ – The Thursday morning commute turned into a nightmare for drivers across North Jersey as a mix of crashes, breakdowns, and heavy congestion snarled major highways and crossings into New York City.
A crash on the Garden State Parkway southbound just north of Exit 132 in Woodbridge Township blocked the right shoulder shortly after 8 a.m., causing a ripple effect of delays stretching through Middlesex County.
Minutes earlier, a disabled tractor trailer stalled traffic on the George Washington Bridge upper level eastbound mid-span in Fort Lee, shutting down two right lanes and forcing commuters into long backups toward Manhattan.
In Newark, a disabled bus on the New Jersey Turnpike northbound outer roadway near Interchange 14 blocked the left lane, adding to an already sluggish morning for Turnpike travelers.
Heavy congestion grips key routes
By 8 a.m., the Garden State Parkway also faced four-mile northbound delays from Colonia to Cranford due to sheer volume. The Turnpike’s outer roadway saw an eight-mile backup between Carteret and Newark, while both its eastern and western spurs were crawling through Kearny with three-mile slowdowns.
Bridge and tunnel backups compound chaos
The Lincoln Tunnel was backed up in both center and south tunnels eastbound, with 35-minute travel times from the Turnpike Exit 16E to Midtown. The Holland Tunnel was little better—30 minutes from Exit 14C and 25 from NJ-139 in Jersey City. Meanwhile, delays on the George Washington Bridge persisted, with 45-minute eastbound travel times on the upper level and 35 minutes on the lower.
Commuter corridors buckle under volume
Beyond the crossings, NJ 4 eastbound through Paramus and Teaneck moved slowly under heavy congestion. In Mercer County, drivers faced backups along NJ 29 through Trenton, US 1 near Lawrence Township, and I-295 northbound near Exits 64 to 67. I-195 eastbound near Exit 5 in Hamilton also saw volume-related delays.
Despite the widespread congestion, all major incidents were contained to shoulders or single lanes, and no injuries were reported as of press time.