SECAUCUS – Parts of the Route 3 East Bridge over the Hackensack River, which is traveled by about 75,000 motorists per day and serves as a vital approach to the Lincoln Tunnel, were closed by the state Department of Transportation on Wednesday after cracks were found in its steel support structure. The closures caused severe traffic backups, costing commuters valuable time and underscoring the costs of poor infrastructure.
The lane closures are expected to last for at least two weeks while emergency repairs are made and come on the heels of two other bridges within the state being closed for deteriorating conditions. More than 500 bridges in New Jersey are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete by the DOT.
Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said on Thursday, Jan. 22 that the closing of one of the state’s busiest bridges for emergency repair work is further evidence of the need to find a long term revenue solution to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund.
“The Route 3 Bridge is not the first piece of our crumbling infrastructure to fail, and if our state doesn’t do something about our transportation funding crisis soon then it certainly won’t be the last,” said Prieto, who has consistently advocated for more transportation revenue since his term began last January.
“The costs of lost productivity and aggravation for drivers over the next few weeks while emergency repairs are being conducted is the price our state is paying for its inability to solve this problem. I am hopeful that the bridge closure will at least provide continued impetus to show both our elected leaders and our residents that increasing transportation funding is in our vital economic interests and must be accomplished in the near future.”
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