Hurricane Irene wreaks havoc on New Jersey highways

 

On the western end of the state, there was only one traveler on the Lower Trenton Bridge, famed for its neon "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES" sign — that would be the flooded Delaware River. Otherwise, the span was closed.

On the eastern half, Interstate 287 in Boonton collapsed from the force of the Rockaway River, shutting down a northbound stretch of the busy highway and leaving the rest of the week’s commute uncertain for hundreds of thousands of motorists.

West, east and in between, travelers today were still being rerouted, shut off, frustrated and beleaguered after Hurricane Irene’s weekend visit.

It looked like titans played a game of baseball on New Jersey roadways, using trees as bats and highway shoulders as the basepaths.

Popular Jersey roads were shut down across the state, including Route 1 in Mercer County, Route 18 in New Brunswick, Route 23 in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties, Route 29 in Mercer County, Route 46 in Morris County, Route 202 in Wayne and Route 206 in Somerville.
"We’ve been working through the night, but we’re dealing with a lot of water and flood damage," state Department of Transportation spokesman Joe Dee said yesterday.
In Boonton, the northbound side of I-287 that travels over the Rockaway River was closed overnight Monday after a portion of the shoulder washed out just south of Exit 44, he said.
"Floodwater eroded the roadbed and the road surface collapsed," Dee said.
There was no immediate estimate of when the highway would be open for travel.
The Rockaway River went from smooth current to treacherous whitewater rapids overnight. First, the 20-foot barrier of trees alongside I-287 vanished. Then, the embankment below the highway crumbled.
"We heard a rumbling — like thunder," said Loretta Sanford, 75.
Several nearby houses also were evacuated.
Dee said the state was working to shore up the highway side with protective "riprap" blocks. However, just after 11 yesterday morning, another thunderous cascade of rocks fell from the highway side of the river and into the still-rushing water.
With drivers deterred from that section of I-287, Interstate 80 became clogged near the 287 split, causing delays of close to a half-hour.
Adding to the motorist misery last night, flooding shut down exit ramps off I-80 East in Parsippany-Troy Hills and Wayne, causing backups of close to an hour.
In New Brunswick, the swollen Raritan River overflowed its banks, forcing police to close Route 18 from the John Lynch Bridge in Piscataway south to Route 1 on the border with East Brunswick.
With county government offices and the Middlesex County Courthouse still open, drivers crawled along congested side streets off Routes 1 and 130 to reach their jobs.
The Albany Street bridge, an important gateway into the city, remained closed.
Shut-down sections of usually bustling Route 18 became pedestrian malls for bicyclists, dog-walkers, parents with small children, sightseers and the occasional jogger.
Tim Burns walked down the highway and eyed the adjacent, newly redeveloped Boyd Park that was under water.
It was his second stroll on the highway.
"We did it with Floyd," he said, recalling the raging storm that closed Route 18 in 1999.
Trenton’s Assunpink Creek flooded to a record level, submerging train tracks in the state capital that are used by Amtrak and commuter trains.
However, NJ Transit announced later yesterday that trains would be running again today after a three-day shutdown — but not from Trenton to New Brunswick.
In Fairfield, gushing water from the Passaic River shut Route 46 in both directions near the Willowbrook Mall and led to at least five other road closures, authorities said.
"This is the worst," Mayor James Gasparini said. "The roads are impassable."
Gov. Chris Christie said there were 350 road closures at the peak, but it was down to 86 at the time of his news conference late yesterday afternoon in Manville.
In one case, he said, the state brought in construction companies to quickly rebuild a section of Interstate 80 in Morris County.
Christie urged drivers to respect the power of the floodwaters.
"Don’t be complacent," he said. "If you see flooding, don’t drive into it. You don’t know how deep the water is. If you see water, turn around and find another way to go."