NJ Turnpike Delays Reported, Emergency Repairs Needed At Bridge

New Jersey Turnpike authorities closed the eastbound lanes of the Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension bridge on Wednesday to make emergency repairs. The closure is expected to last until at least Thursday evening and cause residual delays for Lincoln Tunnel and Port Authority Bus Terminal travelers, officials said.

According to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the eastbound Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension to New York was closed to traffic between interchanges 14 and 14A on Wednesday while repair crews addressed a “structural problem.”

The Turnpike Authority said:

“The bearings between the bridge deck and a pier at milepost 0.5 of the extension became overextended, causing the eastbound bridge deck to drop several inches. Repairs crews have begun jacking the structure back into place in order to repair the bearings. It is too soon to determine when the eastbound extension will reopen, but engineers estimate that the work will take at least 36 hours, which would keep the extension closed until Thursday evening.”

Officials added:

“The bearings are steel pieces that connect the bridge deck to the pier. They are designed to allow for controlled movement of the bridge deck, such as expansion or contraction due to temperature changes. A contractor working in the area discovered that several bearings on the pier beneath the eastbound roadway at milepost 0.5 had rotated out of position.”

In addition to the repair work, engineers working for the Turnpike Authority are evaluating similar bearings beneath the extension to make sure there are no other problems, officials stated Wednesday.

The roadwork caused traffic backups on the Turnpike and at the various tunnel approaches, NBC New York reported.

The Port Authority of NY/NJ advised Lincoln Tunnel and Port Authority Bus Terminal travelers to "factor additional time into their commutes" on Wednesday and Thursday, especially during the rush hours.

"Traffic patterns at the Lincoln Tunnel and bus terminal have been modified this evening to accommodate drivers who would normally use the New York-bound Holland Tunnel," Port Authority officials stated Wednesday. "Because of the expected increase in traffic, the Lincoln Tunnel will maintain three lanes in each direction through the tubes to ease traffic flow and the arrival of buses to the bus terminal in Midtown."

The New York-bound express bus lane will be operational during the Thursday morning commute, the Port Authority stated.

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