TOMS RIVER, NJ—Traffic on the Garden State Parkway is back to normal after the road buckled and stopped traffic Wednesday afternoon.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority reported repairs to the section of buckled pavement have been completed.
The issue, which arose in the southbound lane at milepost 82.7, caused significant delays stretching back 15 miles to Wall on Tuesday. A section of roadway raised above the rest of the road. Fortunately, no accidents occurred as a result, but officials did not say what caused the incident, other than it was heat related.
The pavement issue was reported at 3:12 PM on Tuesday, according to Sgt. Jeffrey Lebron of the New Jersey State Police. Tom Feeney, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, described the problem as a severe heave in the asphalt that necessitated immediate emergency repairs, leading to the closure of the right lane.
The repairs were completed, allowing for the resumption of regular traffic flow by Wednesday night.
“A pavement heave southbound at milepost 82.7 in Toms River forced the closure of the right lane and is causing significant southbound delays. Emergency repairs are underway but are likely to take several hours. The right lane will remain closed until they’re completed,” officials reported.
