Don't Believe the Hype: NJ Turnpike Widening Still Happening - Streetsblog New York City

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"New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy scaled back his planned $11-billion widening of the New Jersey Turnpike, but the lame duck executive's so-called "compromise" will still induce thousands more cars and trucks onto Garden State roadways. Murphy and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced late on Friday that the state will not add more lanes to the highway's eastern spur closer to the Holland Tunnel to Manhattan - but officials will, next year, begin a 10-year, for $6.2-billion construction project to double the size of the 1956 Newark Bay Bridge between Newark and Bayonne to a twin span with eight lanes."

"Opposed blasted Murphy for keeping the worst parts of the boondoggle. "If they double the size of that bridge, it's going to make no difference in the end," said Emmanuelle Morgen, a co-founder of Hudson County Complete Streets. "There's not much change here, I can't call this a compromise." And the groups EmpowerNJ, Turnpike Trap, Hudson County Complete Streets and Bike JC Coalitions issued a joint statement that said that doubling the capacity of the bridge "now makes even less sense." "Four lanes of east-bound bridge traffic will now perpetually"

New Jersey scaled back an $11-billion plan to widen parts of the Turnpike but will proceed with a $6.2-billion, 10-year project to twin the 1956 Newark Bay Bridge into an eight-lane span between Newark and Bayonne. The expanded bridge will feed back into existing four-lane sections through Jersey City toward the Holland Tunnel, creating lane merges. Local advocates and coalitions warned the bridge expansion will induce thousands more cars and trucks, called the plan a boondoggle, and said doubling capacity now makes even less sense. Streetsblog is soliciting tax-deductible donations to support its reporting.

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