Official Says There Were Problems With Parkway Plowing On Friday

The head of the NJ Turnpike Authority says the agency did not do a good enough job plowing the the Garden State Parkway in Middlesex and Monmouth counties Friday morning.

“We did not do an adequate job of clearing snow and ice on the Garden State Parkway between the Driscoll Bridge and the Asbury Park Toll Plaza during this morning’s commute,’’ said Executive Director Joseph W. Mrozek in a statement posted on the agency’s website. “Historically, this has been a difficult section of the Parkway to keep clear during winter storms. Our efforts today were complicated by the low temperatures overnight. Salt is less effective in extreme cold. A series of accidents in the area caused further complications. The accidents caused backups, and our plows had difficulty getting through traffic to the places where they were needed.”

He said reports that the agency ran out of salt are false. Supplies are low, but adequate, and additional shipments are expected Friday and over the weekend, he said.

Turnpike Authority staffers plan to review Friday’s events to determine how equipment, materials and manpower should be deployed in that area in the future, Mrozek said in the statement.

The State Police Holmdel Station had reports of about 42 accidents between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday, State Police Capt. Stephen Jones said.

New Jersey Fast Traffic’s Bob Williams spoke with drivers who said there were crashes north of Exit 105 in Eatontown, and traffic was brought to a standstill, according to NJ101.5.