Turnpike closed, Parkway and 78 are parking lots
- Thread starter zappaa
- Start date
No, incorrect reason.
The dump truck swerved and flipped over while attempting to avoid a semi truck that had switched lanes trying to obey the "move over" law, attempting to avoid a police vehicle which was on the shoulder. The dump truck caught on fire directly under the Wood Ave overpass in Linden, which meant the bridge needed to be checked for structural integrity before it could be reopened. What a mess.
Thanks for the clarification -- I just saw a quick blurb somewhere else which clearly was incorrect.
people that were stuck in it made the most of it: played football and baseball, caught up on reading and tanning....
http://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/jerseys-own-concrete-beach?utm_term=.mnXpr4Xq1k#.ncrLYM0d9
http://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/jerseys-own-concrete-beach?utm_term=.mnXpr4Xq1k#.ncrLYM0d9
Classic, lol. My worst nightmare - I absolutely abhor being stuck in traffic and will usually detour off any stopped road and try to get around the stoppage - it may sound dumb, but I'd rather be moving and take a few minutes longer than be completely stuck for a long time.
Only recall being completely stuck like that for more than 30-40 minutes once and that was in 1983, in the Lincoln Tunnel on our way to see U2 on the Pier (War Tour) - were stuck for about 2 hours and we were heading in 3 hours early to get the best seats (it was general admission). I contemplated leaving the car and walking, lol. So, we get there maybe 30 minutes before the show and had one of my nicest surprises ever. We were going to meet another couple there and we ran into them and they had saved us 2 seats, front row, center (no cell phones in those days, so we didn't know they had gotten there early). Couldn't thank them enough - was an amazing show, too.
It took me a minute to figure out that PSU hadn't opened a satellite campus in Newark!
I don't know why, but I would rather drive two hours completely out of the way, than sit in stuck traffic for only an hour. I have the "I'd rather be moving" thing also, I guess.
The worst traffic snafu I have ever been in also involved a concert. I think a tanker truck overturned and leaked up near the meadowlands the night of a Springsteen concert. What a mess. If I remember it right, Bruce delayed the start of the show to allow people to get there.
This caused problems all over north/central jersey. 1/9 was a parking lot, which spilled over to 440 and the Bayonne Bridge and made that a parking lot. Parkway, 78, 22, 3, Eastern Spur, Western Spur, Newark Bay Ext, all jammed. I've never seen such a complete meltdown of the region's highway network before. I've seen backups on these roads before, sure, but this was just a rippling domino collapsing effect.
Something like that happened to us going to a Springsteen concert at Giants Stadium about 7/8 years ago. NJT closed at exit 16 due to some kind of major accident. Consequently traffic in the entire region was hosed. We wound up parking over in Lyndhurst near Medieval Times and hiking it (not exactly a pedestrain friendly walk). Start of show was delayed about 45-hour.
It's amazing that 1 vehicle can cause such a mess. Unfortunately the driver didn't survive.
"Capt. Stephen Jones of the New Jersey State Police said the driver of the dump truck was behind a large tow vehicle pulling another truck when the tow truck began to slow down. The dump truck driver failed to observe the tow truck's change in speed and hit the vehicle being towed, careening to the left before overturning and striking a bridge abutment, then bursting into flames. The fire spread to the Wood Avenue overpass."
"Capt. Stephen Jones of the New Jersey State Police said the driver of the dump truck was behind a large tow vehicle pulling another truck when the tow truck began to slow down. The dump truck driver failed to observe the tow truck's change in speed and hit the vehicle being towed, careening to the left before overturning and striking a bridge abutment, then bursting into flames. The fire spread to the Wood Avenue overpass."
