The well-known New Jersey Turnpike in the US is being recommended for upgrades and improvements. The project’s budget has been set at $4.7 billion USD. A 13 km segment between the New Jersey Turnpike and the Holland Tunnel would undergo widening and upgrade work. The Newark Bay Bridge would also be replaced as part of the design.
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The plan’s supporters claim that it would shorten drivers’ wait times while increasing capacity for the many heavy cargo trucks that use the route. It would also increase safety. Some locals, though, are against the proposals because they believe it would lead to more pollution and disturbance. The opposition also notes that the Holland Tunnel’s capacity won’t be raised, causing backups at the entry.
There are also questions about how the proposed road widening plan will be paid for and whether local taxpayers would ultimately be on the hook for it.
An insight into the New Jersey Turnpike in the US
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is responsible for maintaining the turnpike (NJTA). The 188.62 km mainline’s southern terminus is at a complex connection with Interstate 295 (I-295), U.S.
Route 40 (US 40), US 130, and Route 49 near the border of Pennsville and Carneys Point townships in Salem County, one mile (1.6 km) east of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Its northern terminus is at Ridgefield Park, Bergen County, at a junction with I-80 and US 46.
From conception to completion, the mainline took 23 months to build, from 1950 to 1952. On November 5, 1951, it was formally opened to traffic between its southern end and exit 10. Today, the turnpike is a significant route that connects several towns in New Jersey with Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York.
Noteworthy, it is the sixth-busiest toll road in the country and one of the busiest highways in the United States, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association. It offers a straight bypass of Philadelphia to long-distance drivers going from New York City to Washington, D.C.
