The New Jersey Turnpike Authority recently unveiled several options for improving circulation at the 14A Interchange in Bayonne. However, only one of those options actually works.
“What we have before us is a regional solution to a regional problem.” – Mayor Mark Smith
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Least functional exit
A study conducted several years ago by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority showed that with the exception of interchange 8A in Monroe Township, the Bayonne exit is the least functional of any interchange in the state.
Even on days when there is no accident or breakdown on the Turnpike bridge that connects Bayonne, Jersey City, and the Holland Tunnel to the main branch of the Turnpike near Newark Airport, backups at rush hour are routine and can often leave drivers frustrated and enraged.
Never modernized
The entire 118-mile length of the New Jersey Turnpike took 25 months to construct at a total cost of $255 million. In the 1950s and over the years, main arteries of the Turnpike have been widened, but not the Turnpike Extension servicing exits 14A, 14B, and 14C – this despite the fact that some estimates suggest as many as 100,000 vehicles now use the extension each way daily, and that traffic into and out of Bayonne will increase dramatically with the city’s continuing development.
“This important project had its genesis several years ago as an effort to improve the flow of traffic at Exit 14A,” said Mayor Mark Smith. “Since that time, it has morphed into a larger project intended to address the original issue, as well as the emerging port and rail facilities at Greenville Yards, Global Terminal, and the Maritime districts at the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor.”
Future development of the former Military Ocean Terminal and other parts of the city of Bayonne hinges on solving the problem of this traffic snarl.
This is part of a $500 million reconstruction effort of the Turnpike extension, which will include work on the Newark Bay Bridge. The major goals are to relieve traffic congestion, add capacity, increase safety, reduce travel time, and improve air quality. If everything goes according to schedule, the interchange would be completed by 2016.
Turnpike officials said that while all options are being explored, any concept for improvement will have to consider a number of constraints – such as nearby residential properties, petroleum storage tanks, underground utilities, rail lines, several other major roadways, and possible environmental contamination.
The Turnpike Authority expects to come up with a final design and other documents in about two years, a task that would conclude by the end of 2012. After this, construction will take about three years.
Both interchanges need to be improved
Steve Buente, New Jersey Turnpike Authority supervising engineer, said back in 2008 when the project was first proposed, the Turnpike Authority considered only reconstructing 14A in Bayonne. The Authority has since expanded this proposal to include 14B in Jersey City.
But clearly, from the three proposals presented in Bayonne and Jersey City over the last week, traffic pressure on the Bayonne interchange cannot be corrected without also dealing with problems with the Jersey City exchange, as well.
Although some Jersey City officials have raised objections to the plan for directing truck traffic to Interchange 14B, local officials said Jersey City already has a nightmare situation north of the interchange where existing Highway 185 zigzags to access industrial areas in southeastern Jersey City. They said hairpin turns bring trucks and car traffic into near collisions routinely. The Turnpike proposal would reconstruct that area and eliminate the existing traffic hazard there.
Smith says the project is necessary
“There can be no disagreement that something has to be done to improve circulation both in Bayonne and Jersey City,” Smith said. “If goods cannot be swiftly transported from the burgeoning port facilities, the economic viability of the port improvements will be compromised.”
But he said because Bayonne is a peninsula city, it has limited ingress and egress options, and the impact upon local residents must be considered.
The change would also improve traffic flow on and off Exit 14A. It affects a number of local streets, including Route 440 and Avenue E in Bayonne, as well as Garfield Avenue in Jersey City.
As it stands, vehicles that exit at 14A funnel into a single-lane overpass to get to Route 440, the Port Jersey Global Terminal, and the former Military Ocean Terminal (MOTBY).
“The Turnpike Newark Bay extension is an important connection between our homes and the rest of the state,” he said. “Bayonne residents account for more turnpike toll money than any other New Jersey community.”
He said during the Dec. 26 storm, the poor connections at the toll plaza and the poorly conceived connections to Route 440 caused a situation where Bayonne residents could not access the extension.
Questions
Representatives from engineering consultants Gannett Fleming were on hand at the Jan. 20 meeting to answer questions.
Future projections show that traffic at Interchange 14A is expected to nearly double from about 3,600 vehicles per hour currently to about 7,000 vehicles per hour in 2035. Truck traffic will more than double as port operations at Global and possible container port operations at the former Military Ocean Terminal increase – causing backups that will clog local Bayonne streets, as well as all other approaches to the Turnpike extension.
Under the current preferred option, local Bayonne traffic will continue to use the existing 14A toll plaza near Avenue E and East 53rd Street, with a new layout that removes the traffic lights at Avenue E to improve traffic flow into Bayonne from the plaza.
Results of public sessions
But based on the two public sessions held – one in Bayonne and the other in Jersey City – the Turnpike Authority will make some revisions to their plans, Buente said.
Turnpike officials said that the cost of purchasing additional land for the changes is figured into the total price tag.
Smith said his staff has been working with the Turnpike Authority to find the best possible solution.
“What we have before us is a regional solution to a regional problem,” he said. “The project as proposed minimizes the use of condemnation and respects our existing neighborhoods.”
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.