NJ Turnpike Construction (employment, calculated, live)

[Thruway]

I was driving the NJTP this week and noticed there was construction off the shoulder.
It looked like a lot of land was being cleared just after you passed the PATP exit headed north.

Is this part of the NJTP widening?
Has the project started?

My other question...at what point on the NJTP does it switch from being a local road for NYC metro area commuters to long distance traffic?

[captne76]

Yep it appears the construction has started to widen the NJ Yankety Crank to 12 lanes to Exit 6. At Exit 6 I-95 will turn off the Pike and head west to PA where someday PA will actually build those ramps to connect the PA Pike to the rest of I-95 which goes down towards Miami Florida.


There is of course lots of online history about the unbuilt I-95 in NJ, etc and how there are 2 I-95's that do not presently connect to each other.

About your second question, that's somewhat of an opinion depending who you ask. The entire roadway itself seems to carry a lot of east coast long distance as in New England to Florida type traffic. I would think after I-195 or so you lose most of the commuters and its more stagecoaches and wagon trains heading to further states.

Some links are:
NJ Turnpike widening from 6 to 12 lanes from Exit 6 to 9 at cost of $2 billion | TOLLROADSnews
NJ Turnpike Interchange 6 to 9 Widening Program : Home
Making the big I-95 Penna Pike connection at last | TOLLROADSnews
and this one seems to be dragging on forEVER:
PA Turnpike / I-95 Interchange Project

If you want to see the whole thing s'plained away, there's a good site for it here: History of the Interstate 95 "Missing Link" of central New Jersey

[Thruway]

I'd like to know where on the NJTP it goes from being a NYC commuter road to more long distance.

[dhanu86]

Man Friday around 5pm it was jammed for 10 miles around exit 8 and it's like that every rush hour, that should have been fixed long ago, it makes no sense to merge lanes from 6 to 3 just like that.

[captne76]

Well IF I-95 was ever built, that would have taken half the traffic off, but since its not, that's why the pike is expanding now.

[dhanu86]

Originally Posted by Thruway

I'd like to know where on the NJTP it goes from being a NYC commuter road to more long distance.

That's hard to say because there are many alternative roads into NYC depending where u live. If u live a distance exit 8 or way north exit 18 chances are they would want to take the NJTP because it's the most direct way, but not necessarily if you commute from somewhere between those.

The project will add 274 lane-km (170 lane-miles) and is calculated to meet traffic needs through 2032. Forecasts are based on employment growth in central Jersey of 32% 2005-2032 and traffic increases on the Turnpike of about 80%!

32% employment growth? That sounds like good news.. if the population growth stays under 32%