New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today announced four lanes are open on Route 139 westbound in Jersey City in time for the Monday morning commute as crews continue emergency bridge repairs.
A fire on Friday night underneath the ramp for Route 139 westbound near Coles Street in Jersey City caused substantial structural damage, resulting in the closure of the left three lanes out of five lanes.
NJDOT and contractor crews have been working 24-hours-a-day to place support bracing under the ramp and were able to reopen one of the three closed lanes before 6 a.m. today in time for the morning commute. In addition, the right shoulder has been opened to allow a fourth lane for traffic, to help mitigate congestion caused by the lane closures.
Although, there are four out of five lanes open, motorists should expect delays and congestion coming out of the Holland Tunnel, particularly during the afternoon commute. Motorists are urged to consider public transportation, alternate routes, or leave extra travel time. The PATH and NJ Transit will be adding capacity to accommodate additional riders. Click here for NJ Transit options.
Significant damage occurred to six longitudinal beams and the underside of the road surface, or deck, which is made up of steel and concrete. It is too early to predict how long the permanent repairs will take, however it will probably be weeks or months. A team of structural engineers is working on a design and plans to do the permanent repair.
The Holland Tunnel into New Jersey is open, but delays are expected as the lane closures on 14th Street in Jersey City create a bottleneck approaching Jersey Avenue.
Traffic is still able to access the ramp to the New Jersey Turnpike Extension to I-78; and Route 139 westbound to the Pulaski Skyway and Kennedy Boulevard is open.
Route 139 eastbound toward downtown Jersey City and the Holland Tunnel is not affected.
NJDOT, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, NJ Transit, regional transportation agencies and local officials are working together mitigate congestion and to provide advance notification to motorists of all traffic pattern changes associated with the emergency repairs.
Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT's traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info.
