NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT announce
plans for handling crowds expected for the
Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Sunday

Additional trains and traffic
management aim to ease congestion

(Trenton) - The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and NJ TRANSIT announced today plans to help move a record number of attendees going to the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park to see Triple Crown winner American Pharoah this Sunday, August 2.

“With record crowds expected to come out to see Triple Crown winner American Pharoah at the Haskell Invitational this weekend, NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT have developed a plan to move people in and out of Monmouth Park as safely and efficiently as possible,” NJDOT Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Chairman Jamie Fox said. “We are adding additional trains dedicated to fans departing after the race, and implementing traffic management plans with local law enforcement to keep traffic moving on Route 36 to the Garden State Parkway.”

“In addition to our regularly scheduled trains stopping at Monmouth Park, NJ TRANSIT plans to operate unscheduled trains to help facilitate the movement of people safely out of the park,” NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim, said.

Route 36 is the primary access route to Shore destinations in Long Branch and neighboring towns. With the large crowds expected for the Haskell, Route 36 and neighboring roads are expected to be congested and have delays, particularly Sunday evening after the race. Motorists should plan extra time for arriving and departing Monmouth Park.

NJ TRANSIT
To assist fans getting to and from the event, every local NJ TRANSIT train on Sunday will stop at the Monmouth Park Station. After the race, four additional trains will be dedicated to fans departing Monmouth Park heading toward Newark, and one additional train will be dedicated to fans heading south toward Bay Head. After the regularly scheduled 6:09 p.m. northbound train leaves, the additional trains will be moved into the station one at a time. Once a train is full, it will depart and the next train will be moved into the station. The extra train heading southbound is expected to depart after the regularly scheduled 6:34 p.m. train.

If capacity allows, the Summer Shore Express trains heading to New York Penn Station also will stop at Monmouth Park. However, if the Express train picks up passengers at Monmouth Park, it will become a local train making stops at each station.

Riders are advised to purchase roundtrip tickets in advance because there are no ticket vending machines at the Monmouth Park Station, and they should be prepared for longer than average wait times. In addition, NJ TRANSIT customers should be aware that the Monmouth Park Station is not ADA accessible, and no open containers of alcohol will be permitted on the trains.

ROUTE 36
In order to ease congestion for motorists leaving the event, NJDOT will close one through lane of Route 36 westbound and the right-turn lane onto Oceanport Avenue north to keep traffic departing Monmouth Park moving freely onto Route 36 westbound toward the Garden State Parkway in an effort to minimize delays. NJDOT will be working with local law enforcement, which will be manually controlling traffic signals before and after the race, to help keep traffic flowing and to minimize congestion.

Variable message signs will notify motorists of the exercise while it is underway.  Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.