Route 495 to Lincoln Tunnel: "This 'summer of hell' project could torture commuters for years" beginning August 17

The closing of one lane on Route 495 into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel, for the next three years, sounds like a commuting nightmare for driving into and out of the city.  No doubt it will affect train use as well.  Please feel free to add your thoughts, ideas, and experiences as D-Day approaches and progresses.

https://www.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2018/07/start_date_set_for_the_summer_of_hell_project_that.html#incart_river_index


We need to stop being babies about spending on infrastructure.  The new train tunnel should have been finished by now.  Adding rail capacity would have helped.


If its like the Skyway project, it will take 2 extra years.......


FilmCarp said:
We need to stop being babies about spending on infrastructure.  The new train tunnel should have been finished by now.  Adding rail capacity would have helped.

 agreed.  and even with the current mediocre service to the city, it is usually better than driving and then either spending a fortune on parking or trying to find a space.  



The Skyway and Holland Tunnel will be a mess as people look for alternate routes.


Infrastructure isn't just for commuting. I need to go into the city one or two times a week, and almost always in the evening. Unless they find a way to double the frequency of train service, and make it so I can depend on it getting me there when it says it will, mass transit will never work for me. 


tom said:
Infrastructure isn't just for commuting. I need to go into the city one or two times a week, and almost always in the evening. Unless they find a way to double the frequency of train service, and make it so I can depend on it getting me there when it says it will, mass transit will never work for me. 

If I'm going to be late, I will sometimes drive to Newark Penn Station and park.  The trains run a lot more frequently on NJT in the evening. Or if you're downtown you can take PATH.  It's a lot easier than driving from Manhattan most nights.


FilmCarp said:
We need to stop being babies about spending on infrastructure.  The new train tunnel should have been finished by now.  Adding rail capacity would have helped.

 The complaint isn't about spending $$$ on infrastructure. The complaint is about the inconvenience during the upgrade.


I think the point is that if we, as a society, ponied up for necessary improvements to infrastructure then maintenance projects like this would not be so painful.  If there was another rail tunnel under the Hudson that would likely ease the burden of traffic oozing through the Lincoln and Holland tunnels. (Going through those tunnels is less driving than osmosis I think).

Also if the new train tunnel was ready there would be much better alternatives for people who drive.  It's cyclical and the two things are interconnected.

I spent ten years driving in and out of NYC (my job took me all over Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester County ... public transportation was never an option) and the piper is awaiting payment on a lot of key roadways.  


ml1 said:


tom said:
Infrastructure isn't just for commuting. I need to go into the city one or two times a week, and almost always in the evening. Unless they find a way to double the frequency of train service, and make it so I can depend on it getting me there when it says it will, mass transit will never work for me. 
If I'm going to be late, I will sometimes drive to Newark Penn Station and park.  The trains run a lot more frequently on NJT in the evening. Or if you're downtown you can take PATH.  It's a lot easier than driving from Manhattan most nights.

 Agree this is a good option as well as parking at at the Secaucus station and getting a train from there (and they run fairly frequently at night).   


I notice fares on NJT are lower than on Metro North. That could be part of the problem.


August 17th, 3-year lane closure of route 495 arriving on Friday. Meanwhile, a number of side routes have been closed off, as per link below.  Fortunately, this will start in the middle of many summer vacations with less traffic. Has anyone noticed any problems yet?


https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/08/10/route-495-ramp-closed/


Just a friendly reminder that Chris Christie was one the worst governors in American history. If you live in north Jersey and vote for another Republican for a state office, you deserve to be trapped in a dark train under the Hudson River until the next election. 


drove the helix into the Lincoln Tunnel yesterday and it was empty. This was at about 1:00 p.m.  


Steve said:
drove the helix into the Lincoln Tunnel yesterday and it was empty. This was at about 1:00 p.m.  

 wait till Monday morning.... 

#Hellmageddon



I'll be on a train. No chance I'd drive in on a normal day.  Just wait until school starts. 


The big infrastructure projects of recent years, like the Skyway, cause problems but they're never as bad as anticipated.  People adjust.  Let's hope that's the case here. 


Although lanes were closed in each direction, traffic was better than expected Tuesday, likely due to summer, school and vacation schedules.


https://articles.nj.com/traffic/index.ssf/2018/08/the_two-plus-year_route_495_commuting_nightmare_ha.amp


I can't understand why anyone would actually drive their car into NYC every day when there are so many mass transit options.


mem said:
I can't understand why anyone would actually drive their car into NYC every day when there are so many mass transit options.

 I'm sure each person has reasons, but here was my rationale:  I didn't have to travel during rush hour so usually it took 45 minutes for a door to door drive to and from my job.  I could park right across the street from work.  On the other hand, while taking the train, it would be a 10 minute walk to the station, 35-40 minute ride to Penn Station when there were no delays.  20 minutes to get on and off the subway, and 10 minute walk from subway to job.  Generally had to figure on an hour and a half, which was double the car drive, and tied to the train schedule whether convenient or not.  So on a typical day of driving in and out of the city, the round trip commuting time would drop from 3 hours to 1.5 hours, generally relaxing in a car (for me), rather than running from place to place.  


My wife works 14 hour days all over Brooklyn and Queens, seldom near a Subway.  She drives. It tough to get Transit home  at 5 am Saturday morning.


While I “liked” Mem’s post and agree that transit should be first choice, there are some areas of the city that just take way too long to get to via mass transit. I turned down a job near LGA because it it was just too rough a commute - via mass transit AND driving.



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