NJDOT kicks off July 4th weekend
with safety announcements

(Trenton) - Commissioner Stephen Dilts today kicked off July 4th weekend by reiterating the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)’s commitment to highway safety and encouraging motorists to exercise caution as they travel to holiday destinations.

"NJDOT is promoting safety over the July 4th holiday weekend by suspending construction on all state highways, expanding the hours of Emergency Service Patrols throughout the state, and urging drivers to obey speed and safety signs,” Governor Jon S. Corzine said. “In addition, I encourage motorists to dial 511 to access the state’s improved voice-activated telephone information system regarding traffic, weather and construction and to try our real-time traffic website, www.511nj.org.”

NJDOT announced the following statewide highway safety initiatives:

• NJDOT will suspend all construction on state highways from 6 a.m. Thursday, July 2, until noon Monday, July 6.
  
• NJDOT’s real time traffic Web site, www.511nj.org, offers interactive maps and displays traffic incidents. The Google Maps-based Web site offers real time traffic conditions on State highways, interstate highways, the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Atlantic City Expressway. The Web site highlights incidents, delays, construction, weather related closures and special events.
  
• The state-of-the-art Statewide Traffic Management Center enables the NJDOT, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the New Jersey State Police to improve their management of and response to accidents, adverse weather, special events and congestion. The 26,000 square foot facility operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
  
• NJDOT’s 511 interactive telephone line provides personalized real time traffic information. Motorists may also subscribe to MyNJ511, a Personalized Traveler Service that sends free, real time traffic alerts to cell phones, email addresses and Personal Digital Assistants.
  
• NJDOT will extend the hours of operation of the Statewide Emergency Service Patrols (ESP) over the holiday weekend. ESP helps stranded drivers with extra gas, tire changes and other services.
  
• New Jersey State Police and local police departments will increase their patrols during the holiday weekend. They will be looking for drivers who are aggressive, drowsy or intoxicated.
  
• Drivers are encouraged to call the following numbers for roadside assistance or to report a disabled vehicle, roadside debris or other problems;
  - On the Turnpike, call #95.
  - On the Parkway, call #GSP (#477).
  - On the Atlantic City Expressway, call #ACE (#223).
  - To report aggressive driving on any road, call #77.
  - Motorists should continue to dial 911 for emergencies.

Calls are toll and airtime free with most major New Jersey cellular suppliers. Any motorist with a cellular phone can expedite aid to disabled vehicles by simply dialing this number. Callers should note the nearest mile marker, the direction of travel and a description of the vehicle.

Express E-ZPass is available at eight toll plazas along the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, including the Bergen Toll Plaza. Express E-ZPass allows E-ZPass customers to travel through toll areas at normal driving speeds, thanks to the removal of certain toll barriers and the addition of E-ZPass sensors on an overhead gantry. At each location, traditional E-ZPass and cash lanes are also available.

A total of 4,450,000 drivers are expected on the New Jersey Turnpike and 8,649,000 on the Garden State Parkway from Wednesday, July 1 through Tuesday, July 7. Thursday is expected to be the most heavily traveled day, with volumes at their highest between the hours of 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. On the New Jersey Turnpike, the concentration of this traffic will be experienced at Interchanges 1-4, 11, 14, 18W and just south of 8A. On the Garden State Parkway, the concentration of traffic will be from the Union Toll Plaza through to the Toms River Toll Plaza.

NJDOT urges motorists to exercise caution while driving this summer. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of three and 33 in the United States. According to the American Automobile Association, nearly 13,000 people will die in highway crashes nationwide during the period that begins with Memorial Day weekend and ends Labor Day.