UNION COUNTY – Residents and travelers are reminded to be aware of temporary traffic pattern changes related to the replacement of the Goethels Bridge.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is undertaking the project, has provided the following information for Friday night, April 24:
On Friday April 24th, starting at 11 p.m. and ending at 7 a.m. on Saturday, the new Goethals Bridge contractor will close one NJ bound lane on the NJ side of the Goethals Bridge that brings drivers to the NJ Turnpike Interchange 13.
The reason is to enable construction for a portion of the new temporary ramp that will be part of the traffic pattern change for the U-Turn on I-278 and the Goethals Bridge access ramp from NJ Turnpike Interchange 13. Drivers will be routed to the U-Turn to access the NJ Turnpike during the closure.
This new traffic pattern will start on May 3rd at 9 a.m. and affect travelers getting on and off the Goethals Bridge from the NJ Turnpike Exit 13 and Cole Place in Elizabeth.
1. Construction of a temporary U-Turn on I-278 in Linden to bring drivers to the Goethals Bridge.
2. Closure of a Bridge access ramp in Elizabeth (Cole Place) and re-route drivers to the Temporary U-Turn for access to the Bridge.
3. VMS signage will be added to the roadway before the U-Turn exit to alleviate error of traveling towards Linden and missing the left side exit for the U-Turn. The proposed signage will have two panels reading: Goethals and Turnpike, Keep left.
The temporary ramp and roads remain in use until the traffic is re-routed onto the new Eastbound Goethals Bridge structure, currently forecasted by end of 2016.
It is anticipated that there will be minimal delays and closures as the replacement Goethals Bridge will be built directly alongside the existing bridge. Future impact on bridge traffic would primarily occur during the transition from the existing bridge to the new bridge.
A PANYNJ brochure and map describing the Goethals Bridge Replacement Project is available on Union County’s website, ucnj.org.