Wayne MVC Reopens With Long Lines And Traffic Jams

WAYNE, NJ — They tried to warn you. Really, they did.

After reporting that construction at the Wayne Licensing Center would create "unusual" traffic volume, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission prompted residents to consider other locations.

That suggestion was largely ignored.

After being closed for more than four months, all New Jersey MVC centers reopened Tuesday, and the traffic volumes were certainly unusual.

PIX11 News' Katie Corrado posted videos and photos to Twitter showing lines stretching onto Route 46 in Wayne. Some people, she said, even walked down Route 46 just to get to the center.

According to PIX11, Wayne and Totowa police were working to manage the traffic, which caused traffic congestion on roads and highways.

The MVC said traffic volume will remain high at the Wayne center until about Aug. 1, and customers should "consider" going to Oakland, Paterson or Lodi for their license transactions.

But on Tuesday, those facilities were just as affected by long lines as the Wayne MVC center.

NJ.com reports that Passaic County sheriff officers closed the Oakland agency before 9 p.m. John Ellis told the publication that he was waiting in line in Oakland, but went to Wayne after the closure was announced.

Northjersey.com reports long lines in Lodi as well, with lines wrapping around the building three times. There, the first person in line arrived before midnight on Monday.

However, the Lodi location was closed before 8 a.m. due to "overwhelming capacity," according to the publication.

MVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon providing some context for planning of the reopening.

Fulton said agency management personnel were deployed to the busiest agencies at 6 a.m., and senior staff in operations were also sent to help process transactions.

"While we understand the frustration of our customers in this extremely challenging and difficult time, our employees are doing the best they can to keep everyone safe and work as efficiently as possible," she said.

The state planned for vehicle and licensing centers to open on June 29 along with road tests and inspections, but delayed the opening to Tuesday because of coronavirus concerns.

Weekly cleanings of the facilities will continue throughout July, meaning MVC centers will be closed on Mondays.