Downed tree shuts NJ 33 as heavy delays hit major New Jersey routes Wednesday morning
NEWARK, NJ — A downed tree forced the closure of all eastbound lanes on NJ 33 near NJ 34 in Howell Township early Wednesday, snarling traffic as commuters faced widespread delays across the state’s major roadways and Hudson River crossings.
The incident was reported around 6:18 a.m. and remains active, with no estimated time for reopening. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
In Fort Lee, both the upper and lower eastbound levels of the George Washington Bridge are open but backed up with travel times of 20 and 15 minutes respectively from I-80 to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, as of 8 a.m.
The Lincoln Tunnel’s south tube eastbound remains congested with a 15-minute delay from the Turnpike’s Exit 16E to Manhattan, and the Goethals Bridge eastbound is seeing a 10-minute delay approaching Staten Island.
Garden State Parkway commuters hit a 4.5-mile slowdown northbound from Clinton Avenue in East Orange to Watchung Street in Bloomfield. Exit 127 in Woodbridge is also experiencing backups due to volume.
I-280 westbound is delayed from Clifton Avenue in Newark to Stickel Drawbridge in Harrison, while NJ 29 northbound is slow moving through Trenton.
The New Jersey Turnpike is seeing consistent volume-related delays across several stretches:
- Eastern Spur northbound near Interchange 15W in Newark
- Inner roadway northbound between Interchanges 12 and 13 (Carteret to Linden)
- Southbound near Interchange 12 in Linden
- Entrance at Interchange 14 in Newark
I-295 northbound in Lawrence Township is also experiencing congestion near Exit 67, though all lanes remain open.
