31st Street ramp access to Route 495 westbound to close Friday

Long-term detour in place as part of the Route 495 Bridge rehabilitation

(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today are reminding motorists that the 31st Street ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Route 495 westbound will be closed beginning tomorrow night as the project to rehabilitate the Route 495 Bridge advances in Hudson County.

Beginning at 11 p.m., tomorrow, Friday, August 10, until 5 a.m. the next day, NJDOT's contractor, IEW Construction Group, is scheduled to close the 31st Street ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Route 495 westbound completely to set up the new traffic pattern. When the ramp reopens, there will be no access to Route 495 westbound with traffic detoured onto Paterson Plank Road. The ramp access closure will be in effect for the two-and-a-half-year duration of the Route 495 Bridge rehabilitation project.

NJ TRANSIT buses only will be allowed to access Route 495 westbound from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday to minimize the delays to NJ Transit customers. Motorists using the ramp will be directed to the following detours:

31st Street ramp to the New Jersey Turnpike

• Continue on 31st Street which becomes Paterson Plank Road
• At the first light, turn left to continue on Paterson Plank Road
• Stay right to take the on ramp to Route 3 eastbound
• Continue on Route 3 to the New Jersey Turnpike

31st Street ramp to Route 3 westbound

• Continue on 31st Street which becomes Paterson Plank Road
• At the first light, turn left to continue on Paterson Plank Road
• Keep right to enter Route 3 westbound

• Continue on 31st Street which becomes Paterson Plank Road
• At the first light, turn left to continue on Paterson Plank Road
• Stay left and turn left at the light onto the ramp to Route 1&9 southbound

Route 495 lane closures begin August 17

On Friday, August 17, one lane of Route 495 in each direction will be closed, limiting the roadway capacity and causing severe congestion. As part of the project, one lane from Route 3 eastbound to Route 495 will be closed for the duration of the project. Both lanes from the New Jersey Turnpike to Route 495 eastbound will be maintained.

The exclusive bus lane (XBL) will remain operational during construction. This construction is expected to last for about two and a half years while the entire bridge deck, parapets, light fixtures, guiderail, and drainage are replaced.

Consider alternate routes or public transportation

During construction, there is expected to be heavy congestion and delays, particularly in the eastbound direction coming from Route 3. NJDOT has been working closely with our partner agencies, such as NJ TRANSIT and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as well as with local officials, law enforcement, businesses, and commuters to help mitigate the congestion. NJDOT examined a variety of alternatives and are suggesting commuters:

• Switching to public transportation – Ferries or PATH trains
• Join a carpool or vanpool
• Adjust travel times around peak morning and evening travel periods
• Telecommute or work at other sites that your employer may have available
• Switching to public transportation – Ferries or PATH trains
• Use the George Washington Bridge or the Holland Tunnel if that is an option

• NJ TRANSIT Park & Ride -as part of this project 136 additional parking spaces were added to the North Bergen Park & Ride Lot last year, and there is a Park & Ride lot at the Vince Lombardi rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike.


• Ferry Service -There is capacity on the ferries and there are several ferry terminals located near the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in Union City, Weehawken, Hoboken, and Jersey City. For commuters coming from Monmouth County, there is ferry service with capacity from Atlantic Highlands, Belford, and Highlands.


• PATH Trains -Use the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to take the PATH from Hoboken or Jersey City.

The $90.3 million state-funded project began in September 2017 with local street improvements. The work in the first phase, which was necessary before the lane closures could be implemented, has been taking place under the bridge and along the Paterson Plank Road – Union Turnpike corridor.

The project to rehabilitate the nine-span viaduct includes repairs and reconstruction of the bridge deck, replacement and strengthening of deteriorated structural steel, and the repair and painting of the substructure. Construction will be accomplished in stages by first making improvements to local streets in the surrounding areas that will need to handle some of the diverted traffic during bridge construction.

Community Outreach

NJDOT created a project-specific website – www.RestoreNJ495.com – which contains a wealth of information about the Route 495 Bridge rehabilitation, and will be updated with relevant new information as work progresses. The Department is carefully coordinating the Route 495 Bridge rehabilitation project with other regional transportation infrastructure projects to minimize traffic congestion.

The Department has a project hotline telephone number, 201.408.8495, and email, DOTOutreachRT495@dot.nj.gov. Anyone who has questions, concerns, or suggestions is encouraged to contact the Project Outreach Team as work progresses.

NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs to provide advance notification to motorists of traffic pattern changes associated with the work. The precise timing of the work is subject to change due to weather or other factors.

Follow the project on Twitter @RestoreNJ495 and get real-time information on traffic conditions at www.511nj.org for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news follow us on Twitter @NJDOT_info or on the NJDOT Facebook page.