Already awful Lincoln Tunnel bottleneck is going to get way worse for the next two and a half years

Transportation officials in New York and New Jersey are warning drivers that they should expect “severe congestion” during the two year period that they’ll be working on reconstruction of the Route 495 Viaduct connecting the Lincoln Tunnel to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Starting sometime midsummer 2018, one lane of each direction of Route 495 is going to be shut down 24 hours a day for the next two and a half years. Ramps from 495 onto Routes 1 and 9 will be closed during the construction project, according to NBC New York.

Route 495 is already ranked as the worst bottleneck on the East Coast, according to the American Highway Users Alliance. The New Jersey Department of Transportation is warning the 150,000 drivers who use Route 495 every day to expect even more severe congestion and traffic delays than usual.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation says that the $90 million rehabilitation project will add about 75 years to the Route 495 Viaduct’s lifespan.

From New Jersey transportation officials:

“Route 495 is a 3.45-mile-long, divided urban freeway in Hudson County that connects the New Jersey Turnpike to the Lincoln Tunnel. Route 495 is four lanes at its western limit where it meets the NJ Turnpike (I-95) at exit 16E. The freeway is mostly six lanes, with an eight-lane section across the Route 495 Viaduct. Route 495 traverses four municipalities in Hudson County. Beginning at the western terminus, Route 495 passes through Secaucus, North Bergen Township and Union City, ending in Weehawken Township.

The Route 495 Viaduct is a nine span bridge that was constructed in 1938. The bridge carries traffic on Route 495 over the NYS&W and Conrail rail lines, as well as Route 1&9, Paterson Plank Road and Liberty Avenue in the Township of North Bergen, Hudson County. The bridge is rated as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The purpose of the project is to rehabilitate the Route 495 bridge, which will extend the useful service life of the bridge for an estimated 75 years and eliminate the need for potential emergency repairs.”

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