New Jersey's Pockmarked Palisades Parkway In Need Of Serious Repair
NEW JERSEY (CBSNewYork) -- As winter's wrath continues to wreak havoc on our roadways, CBS 2 went out in search of perhaps the worst road in the Tri-State area.
Just so far this year, more than 50 inches of snow have fallen. And the aftermath has resulted in huge potholes – some big enough to swallow your car.
CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez was on the Palisades Parkway in Bergen County, N.J. Wednesday night and it didn't take long before she was dodging pothole after pothole.
"A huge safety issue. A car could blow out its tires and hit another car. It's a whole hazard," said Maspeth resident Danny Macks.
Drivers told Sanchez the northbound lanes of the parkway are especially horrendous.
"This section of the Palisades is all potholes, and rutted up, and it's just terrible. It beats the hell out of your car," Valley Cottage resident Jeff Phillips said.
Jim Hall, the executive director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, conceded the New Jersey portion of the parkway is in bad shape.
"It's been 18 years since its been paved. It's really reached the end of its useful life at this point," Hall said.
Hall told Sanchez that crews have gone through 40 tons of asphalt patching countless potholes since Jan. 1, but they can't keep up.
Hall said he has requested state funding for repairs for the last five years, but their need has fallen through the cracks.
"The current estimate from the New Jersey DOT is 14 and a half million (dollars) to repave the New Jersey section. That's almost twice our annual operating budget," Hall said.
The condition of the Palisades Parkway is much better once you cross the state line into New York, where the interstate is maintained by the New York Department of Transportation, Sanchez reported.
Many drivers agree that New Jersey needs to make this pockmarked parkway a priority.
"Basics like this are not taken care of. They're just pushed to the side. It's frustrating," Phillips said.
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