Warren County, NJ to East Stroudsburg (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: how much, home, employment)

[jerseygirlInTN]

We're thinking of relocating to NJ and working in East Stroudsburg, PA. We like some of the northern/western towns of Warren County, NJ and will be closer to our family in Bergen County, NJ. What would the commute be like in that direction early a.m. and evenings? How much extra time if any would we factor in? We know it's less expensive in PA, but we want to be able to go our church which is in Passaic County, NJ. The furthest town were looking at is Allamuchy, NJ which is 24 miles away (29 min. by Google). We're also looking at Hope, Independence Twp., Liberty Township, Belvidere, and Blairstown. Are there any back roads we could take? Also for taxes would we be paying double state income taxes? Any help is appreciated!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

We're thinking of relocating to NJ and working in East Stroudsburg, PA. We like some of the northern/western towns of Warren County, NJ and will be closer to our family in Bergen County, NJ. What would the commute be like in that direction early a.m. and evenings? How much extra time if any would we factor in? We know it's less expensive in PA, but we want to be able to go our church which is in Passaic County, NJ. The furthest town were looking at is Allamuchy, NJ which is 24 miles away (29 min. by Google). We're also looking at Hope, Independence Twp., Liberty Township, Belvidere, and Blairstown. Are there any back roads we could take? Also for taxes would we be paying double state income taxes? Any help is appreciated!

You'll actually be doing a "reverse-commute", so traffic won't be nearly as hairy heading westbound on I-80 in the morning from NJ into PA as it is going in the opposite direction, as most people in the Stroudsburg area commute eastbound on I-80 into NJ/NYC in the mornings for work. Likewise, the evening rush won't be as bad heading eastbound between Stroudsburg and Warren County as it would be when all of the PA commuters start to clog I-80 westbound back home from NJ/NYC. There will still be traffic, don't get me wrong, but it won't be as hair-raising or congested thanks to this "reverse-commute." I'm not sure about the tax question though. Sorry.

[jjj]

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

We're thinking of relocating to NJ and working in East Stroudsburg, PA. We like some of the northern/western towns of Warren County, NJ and will be closer to our family in Bergen County, NJ. What would the commute be like in that direction early a.m. and evenings? How much extra time if any would we factor in? We know it's less expensive in PA, but we want to be able to go our church which is in Passaic County, NJ. The furthest town were looking at is Allamuchy, NJ which is 24 miles away (29 min. by Google). We're also looking at Hope, Independence Twp., Liberty Township, Belvidere, and Blairstown. Are there any back roads we could take? Also for taxes would we be paying double state income taxes? Any help is appreciated!

I agree with the previous post on commuting from NJ into Pa. It would not be that bad. As far as those areas mentioned in NJ , they are some great areas. We live in Pa and patronize some area bussiness near Belvidere and Blairstown. Very nice areas. As far as taxes I am pretty sure you will only pay taxes in one state.

[Nicholas_T]

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

The furthest town were looking at is Allamuchy, NJ which is 24 miles away (29 min. by Google). We're also looking at Hope, Independence Twp., Liberty Township, Belvidere, and Blairstown. Are there any back roads we could take?

These are all great areas of Warren County--rural, quiet, and beautiful.

Your commute from Warren County to East Stroudsburg (and vice versa) will likely be painless. You will be limited to the Delaware Water Gap (DWG) toll bridge on I-80, the Columbia-Portland (CP) toll bridge (accessible from exit 4 on I-80), or the Belvidere-Riverton (BR) free bridge (accessible from Route 46). Which bridge to use depends on where in Warren County you're coming from. (The BR bridge has 2 drawbacks: It is often closed, and it lies well south of East Stroudsburg.) For your morning commute, there are a good number of backroads that will take you to the CP bridge or to the area of I-80 near Columbia. Let me know specifically which area of Warren County you're considering; I might be able to suggest some backroads.

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

Also for taxes would we be paying double state income taxes? Any help is appreciated!

Pennsylvania and New Jersey have a reciprocal agreement with state income tax. What this means is that you pay state income tax for your resident state, not your employment state. You may, however, need to take steps to ensure that your employer deducts the tax from the correct state. Helpful information here: www.taxengine.com/articles/reciprocal_agreements.asp (broken link) (read the Pennsylvania paragraph).

[jerseygirlInTN]

Nicholas_T:

We're looking at Allamuchy, Hope, Independence Township, Liberty Township, Belvidere, Blairstown, Knowlton, Oxford, and Hardwick; possibly also Frelinghuysen in Sussex County. So would we need to add an extra 10-15 minutes or so on to the commute during rush hour? How do you know when the Belvidere bridge is closed? How much is the toll for the DWG and CP? What about when it's snowy or icy? Is it really bad in the winter?

Thanks for the tax info.! I thought they were reciprocal states but wasn't sure.

Any other info. you have on East Stroudsburg or Warren County would be GREAT! Thanks again!

[FightinPhils]

I'm getting hungry. All this talk about Warren County, NJ, and Rt 46 has me thinking about Hot Dog Johnny's.....

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

I'm getting hungry. All this talk about Warren County, NJ, and Rt 46 has me thinking about Hot Dog Johnny's.....

BUTTZVILLE!!! MMMMM!! Still not as good as a Coney Island weiner though! LOL!

[Nicholas_T]

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

We're looking at Allamuchy, Hope, Independence Township, Liberty Township, Belvidere, Blairstown, Knowlton, Oxford, and Hardwick; possibly also Frelinghuysen in Sussex County.

Wonderful areas, all of them.

If you live in Allamuchy, Independence, or Liberty Township, your best bet would be to get on I-80 via Route 517 from the town of Allamuchy (19 miles to the Delaware Water Gap [DWG]). If you live in Hope Township, you can access I-80 via Route 521 just north of the town of Hope (12 miles to the DWG). Blairstown, Hardwick, and Frelinghuysen Townships are quite large, so depending on where you live in those areas, you can access I-80 from Route 521 north of Hope or from Route 94 in Columbia (4 miles to the DWG). From Hardwick Township or the town of Blairstown, you'll find getting to I-80 via Route 94 to be fastest.

The East Stroudsburg exit on I-80 is not far from the DWG.

Belvidere and Oxford lie well to the south of I-80; from those areas, your best bet would be to use Route 46 to get to the Columbia-Portland (CP) Bridge. (I'm sorry--in my previous post, I neglected to mention that the CP Bridge is directly accessible from Route 46.) From the CP Bridge, get on Route 611 in the town of Portland (a sign just after the bridge will direct you) and drive several miles to the town of Delaware Water Gap. You can remain on Route 611 to Stroudsburg, or you can get on I-80 from the town of Delaware Water Gap.

If you live in Knowlton Township, get on I-80 in Columbia from either Route 94 or Route 46 (whichever is closest to you) and use either the CP or the DWG Bridge.

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

So would we need to add an extra 10-15 minutes or so on to the commute during rush hour?

You probably won't need to give yourself extra time because of heavy traffic. The reason is simply that you're unlikely to encounter heavy traffic; on I-80, the bulk of the traffic will be going in the opposite direction of you. Expect comfortable, free-flowing traffic conditions--unless there's an accident. Before your commute, both in the morning and in the afternoon, log on to http://www.state.nj.us/transportatio...r/trafficinfo/ to check for accidents and other traffic-delaying incidents. Heading west on I-80, you might encounter a bit more volume on Friday mornings because of tourist traffic, but it shouldn't present any problems.

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

How much is the toll for the DWG and CP?

The toll at both the CP and the DWG Bridges is 75 cents going into Pennsylvania. There is no toll going into New Jersey. If you get an E-Z Pass, you'll eventually qualify for a commuter's discount; your toll will then be 60 cents. More information here: http://www.ezpassdrjtbc.com/.

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

How do you know when the Belvidere bridge is closed?

From Belvidere and other nearby areas, you'll probably be better off not using the Belvidere-Riverton (BR) bridge. Although it's free, it's also far to the south of East Stroudsburg, and it's often closed if there is snow, ice, or heavy rain. (It's a narrow, steel truss bridge that tends to retain snow and ice and, when wet, gets very slippery.) If the BR Bridge is closed, you'll see signs posted along roadways near the bridge in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey that will detour you to the CP Bridge.

Originally Posted by jerseygirlInTN

What about when it's snowy or icy? Is it really bad in the winter?

Road crews keep I-80 in both Warren and Monroe Counties in pretty good shape, I think. Even so, there are 2 spots on I-80 that definitely warrant caution in snowy, icy, or rainy weather: the steep hill in Allamuchy (exit 19) and, westbound on the highway, the steep, winding hill in Columbia just before exit 4. Accidents, many of them involving trucks, often occur at these locations. The stretch of highway through the DWG is narrow and winding, so use caution there as well. Fortunately, though, it's flat.

Route 611 between Portland and Delaware Water Gap can be treacherous in snowy, icy, or rainy weather.

Hope this information helps.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

BUTTZVILLE!!! MMMMM!! Still not as good as a Coney Island weiner though! LOL!

You think so? Hot Dog Johnny's is the best I've ever had by a long shot, although its been many years since I've had Coney Island. My second choice would be Abe's in Wilkes-Barre.

[jerseygirlInTN]

Nicholas_T
Thank you so much for the info.!!!!!!! This really gives me a realistic view of what the commute would be like. I really appreciate all your help. Hopefully we'll be heading up there soon to check out the area. Thanks again!