NJDOT announces completion of project fully linking
I-78 and the Garden State Parkway

(Trenton) - NJDOT today announced that substantial completion has been reached on the landmark Interstate 78/Garden State Parkway Interchange 142 improvement project.

NJDOT’s contractor, Union Paving and Construction Co, has recently completed final paving operations on the I-78 Express and the Local lanes in each direction between mileposts 52.5 and 54 and installed new overhead signs throughout the interchange.

The $150 million project for the first time fully connects the Garden State Parkway interchange 142 with Interstate 78 located in Hillside and Union Townships, Union County and Irvington Township, Essex County. New flyover ramps have been constructed from the Garden State Parkway northbound to I-78 westbound and the Garden State Parkway southbound to I-78 eastbound, greatly improving traffic flow around the interchange of the two superhighways.

The first project milestone was reached in September 2009 when the flyover ramp connecting GSP northbound to I-78 westbound was completed. In December 2010 the new flyover ramp from GSP southbound to I-78 eastbound was opened allowing motorists to directly access destinations to the east along New Jersey’s bustling I-78 corridor, such as the City of Newark, Newark Liberty International Airport and the Port of Elizabeth.

Before the creation of these new ramps, motorists had been forced to exit onto I-78 heading in the opposite direction of their destination and use local exits as U-turns to double back onto the appropriate side of I-78. For decades, these unnecessary maneuvers had resulted in significant delays and traffic congestion during busy travel times for motorists.

“By providing motorists with these new direct connections, NJDOT is improving traffic throughout the entire region, not only on the GSP and I-78, but also on highways such Route 22 and Route 124 and the county and local roadway systems as well,” NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson has said.

NJDOT awarded the project contract in April 2008, with Gannett Fleming Engineers serving as designer and Union Paving and Construction Co. as the builder. NJDOT also has extended and upgraded the acceleration and deceleration lanes, improved the capacity of ramps connecting motorists to the Parkway from I-78, and installed a new Intelligent Transportation System for travel alerts.

In May 2011 the project was recognized with a Leadership Award from the Newark Regional Business Partnership (NRBP).