Turnpike Authority Unveils $300M Widening Project At Exit 14A In Bayonne
BAYONNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) - Motorists used to long waits to get through the New Jersey Turnpike tolls in Bayonne are in for some relief.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority on Wednesday unveiled plans for a $300 million widening project at Exit 14-A. The interchange connects the Turnpike's Newark Bay-Hudson County extension with Route 440 in Bayonne.
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2018.
Crews will widen the toll plaza from 11 lanes to 13 and will replace two bridges leading to and from the plaza.
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox said revamping the exit was only a dream because they just didn't have the money.
Bayonne Mayor James Davis says drivers typically have to wait 25-30 minutes just to get through the toll plaza each morning.
Turnpike Authority Unveils $300M Widening Project In Bayonne
"It's very dangerous the way it's set up right now. Truck traffic has probably doubled in the last five years coming off the turnpike," Davis told WCBS 880's Levon Putney.
Davis also says easing traffic congestion in the area will help his efforts to redevelop a former military terminal nearby.
The Turnpike Authority can afford the renovations thanks to the 2008 turnpike toll increase, Putney reported.
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