Hoboken Tries To Ease Traffic From Rt. 495 Project Near Tunnel

HOBOKEN, NJ — The dreaded, years-long repairs coming to Rt. 495 near the Lincoln Tunnel aren’t a Hoboken project. But that doesn’t mean the city isn’t taking measures to help local residents beat the years of expected traffic that will accompany the massive bridge renovation effort.

Earlier this week, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced that a long-heralded project to rehabilitate the Rt. 495 bridge in North Bergen will close two lanes on the busy roadway starting Friday, Aug. 17. The project will wrap up in summer 2021 and is expected to "severely congest" traffic near the Lincoln Tunnel for at least 2.5 years, officials said. Read more about the project and see commuting alternatives here.

Hoboken city officials issued the following advisory on Thursday:

“As you may be aware, long-term lane closures on Rt. 495 are scheduled to begin Friday evening after 9 p.m. This is not a City of Hoboken project, but it will impact residents. As such, the City and Police Department are doing [everything] possible to mitigate the traffic issues locally. Beginning Monday morning, the City of Hoboken will have nine traffic control officers assigned to northern Hoboken for morning and evening rush hours for at least the next two weeks.”

Hoboken officials stated:

“Assuming the project’s schedule remains in place, there may be some delays near the Willow Avenue Viaduct late Friday evening. Residents are encouraged to take the 14th Street Viaduct if possible. Saturday might see more delays on 495 East, due to traffic from NYC. However, because of the SUEZ Water project in southwest Hoboken, another outside project impacting local traffic, we recommend using the 14th Street Viaduct on Saturday as well.”

The traffic pattern in southwest Hoboken will be the same as last weekend, officials said:

• Marin Boulevard and Grove Street will remain open both inbound and outbound throughout the weekend.
• One outbound lane of Newark Street will be open until 11 p.m. Friday before Newark/Jersey Avenue closes for the remainder of the weekend.
• Harrison Street will remain open until 8 p.m. Friday before closing for the remainder of the weekend.

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