Bergen County MVC Agencies Overwhelmed During Tuesday Reopening

OAKLAND, NJ — After being closed for over four months, New Jersey MVC agencies reopened on Tuesday. They then promptly closed.

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.

Tweets confirmed the lines in Oakland, and also reported disorganization.

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 an advisory from the police department.

"Avoid the area and seek out other DMV locations, or try again another day," they said.

Glenn Schuck of 1010 WINS posted video to Twitter showing backed up traffic, while saying police are turning people away.

Ironically, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission reported Monday that construction at the Wayne Licensing Center would create "unusual" traffic volume, and suggested patrons "consider" going to Oakland, Paterson or Lodi for their license transactions.

Despite the suggestion, the Wayne agency also faced long lines and traffic backed up all the way to Route 46.

Read more: Wayne MVC Reopens With Long Lines And Traffic Jams

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.

Fulton also said the MVC's brand-new text messaging system is in place and working today, where someone checks in and can then leave, with a text telling them when they can return. However, customers can only check in inside the physical MVC buildings; they cannot check in from their cars while waiting in line, said an MVC spokesman.