I'd like to be clear on one point here. The NJ Turnpike (and the Garden State Parkway, managed by the same authority, and the Atlantic City Expressway which isn't) does in fact contribute sizable funds each year to state public transit projects. Which in turn acts to divert commuters, particularly in the northernmost sections of the turnpike, from using the turnpike to keep road capacity available, all without any risk of running out of funds to maintaint he Turnpike (and Parkway, etc).
That's true. Also, the toll to enter NYC is $16.00. The train fare is not all that much more even for longer trips, may be less for shorter ones, and involves no driving, cost of gas, or depreciation on your car. For a commuter, that's a no-brainer.
Without discounting the public transit that actually works in that region, there are a lot of other lanes adding capacity. In addition to the 4+3+3+4 of the NJTP, there is also 6+6 in northern sections of the GSP, and additional local traffic handled by the 3+3 and 4+4 of US9 and US1...which all more or less run parallel to each other.
One of the things not mentioned in the video, and it's a little hard to tell here, is that the NJ Turnpike Authority decided many years ago to exceed the federal lane stripe standard. Per USDOT, lane stripes are 10 feet long and 4 inches wide, with a 30 foot gap (40 feet from any point in a lane stripe to the same point in the next stripe). The Turnpike and Parkway use 20-foot lane stripes that are 6 inches wide, with 20-foot gaps. Those longer wider stripes are an absolute asset at night and/or in poor weather.
MUTCD has either 4 or 6 inches for the width, defined by emphasis. Pretty much every limited access I've seen is 6". Edge lines vary from more drastically than brokens.
I regularly take the Jersey Turnpike when I drive up from Maryland to see family in NYC. It’s an insanely smooth and very well-maintained road. They did a great job planning and managing it.
@@pfphilly5962apparently Maryland doesn't have a left lane law. Talked to a bunch of people from MD and they had no damn clue. Had to re teach my man how to drive in jersey lmao
I grew up in NJ and I’ve always felt that we should be proud of the Turnpike. Nice to see someone from outside the NY metro area confirm that. I’ve driven up and down the east coast for decades so I have a strong basis for comparison.
I have traveled the NJ Turnpike countless times, especially in my younger years when I lived back east. One thing worth noting is that if your car breaks down on the Turnpike, the Turnpike Authority has a towing service in place to get your car to a repair shop. No charge for this service as the toll you pay subsidizes the service!
The electronic toll collection was a huge improvement. Back in the '70s and even the '80s, it was not unusual to be in a toll booth lane for 10 minutes.
True. The reason for that was, when you get on, you would get a little ticket that told you what you had to pay depending on when you got off. So when you finaly got to a toll plaza, people would fish around the car for change to pay the amount.
Yeah! Who remembers taking/getting a ticket when entering the TP; which you'd tuck into the sun visor, then forget it was there when hit with a blast of winter sun in one of the easterly or westerly sections?
It would be nice if people in New Jersey learned road manners especially around trucks just saying....I know it's not only New Jersey drivers but man sometimes I question how people got a license...
Almost all long-haul truckers in the US are professional and courteous and mindful of good road manners. I cannot say the same for European truckers. I live in Paris, France but was raised in Philadelphia, PA so I have had driving experience with both. Most European truckers are also professional, but I have had VERY bad experiences with more than one trucker on the "périphérique" (beltway) around Paris. @@truckercowboyed2638
On Sundays weekend travelers returning to NYC can result in a backup heading Northbound sometimes 20-30 miles long, say at Exit 9.------I still don't agree that states build these highways for non-locals to be diverted away. The Turnpike is the only quick way for suburban towns like New Brunswick to get to Manhattan. You pay, but the gas is cheap in NJ as a compromise for paying tolls. ----You should mention the tolls over the GWB for trucks which is $120 to cross one time. These toll amounts are how NY plugs budget holes each year.
One other thing to remember about the turnpike rest stops is that the state government and the authority have been adding EV charging stations at each stop. So if you need a 20-30 minute charge, a short meal, cup of coffee, a bathroom break or other necessary stop can fuel up you and the car! Way to go Jersey!
NJ Driver here. Uber driver, to be specific, so I've generally used these roads ALL the time. Primarily operating in the Philly/South Jersey/Delaware areas, but I drive in North Jersey on occasion. Believe it or not, the part where you got onto the turnpike from I-295 (I believe Exit 7-A? It's been a while since I've taken that exit) wasn't always separated. Back in 2012, when I lived in Central Jersey (was a student at Rutgers New Brunswick) and taking the TP to commute back home to south jersey on a weekly basis, that part of the turnpike was still only 3 by 3 and the extra lanes were still under construction. The "Cars Only" part *was* the turnpike, and the current "Cars, Trucks, Buses" were still being built. The biggest trouble the construction ran into was having to basically rebuild EVERY bridge over the turnpike to accommodate these extra six lanes. I mostly mention this, because you mentioned it was a good idea about how poor mixing vehicles is and how you liked the Cars Only concept. It's relatively recent (to my knowledge) and hopefully the concept does pick up in other, heavily congested areas, to help alleviate traffic flow. Also, guiltily, depending on time of the day, it's actually clearer on the Cars/Trucks/Buses lane, 'cause every single car out there will take the Cars Only and congest it while I'm one of the only cars in the outer lanes with a freer traffic flow (and truck drivers generally aren't jerks that swap lanes last second, usually without a turn signal), so it's arguably safer. At certain times of day, of course. It takes years of driving these roads to really get an intuition on it, so I can't exactly put it into words, sorry... The part of the turnpike in the lower half of the state really isn't that much faster than taking I-295 like you did (from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to roughly the area you got on) and you might save 5-10 minutes on an average day. The only time you'd really prefer to use it is if you're traveling during rush hour. The Exit 26-27 area of I-295 gets INSANELY congested because of the I-295/I-76/SR-42 (and Atlantic City Expressway)/SR-55 conglomeration in that tiny little area that has been under construction since I got my license in 2007, lol. The turnpike neatly bypasses that horror show, saving you probably 20+ minutes if you're unfortunate enough to be close to Philly between 6:30-8:00AM or 4:30-6:30PM M-F. Philly workers all mob I-295 to their local neighborhoods while the TP remains mostly.. unaffected. As for the bathrooms being clean and the impressiveness of the rest stops, most of the I-95 rest stops (at least around here) are clean and well taken care of. The one in Delaware, during the 10-ish miles you're in that state, is great both because it's cheaper than most places, Delaware's gas is cheaper than NJ or Maryland, and there's no state sales tax for if you want to buy fast food or hit up the convenience store. (Although, I would say just take Exit 3 off to DE-273 and hit up one of those gas stations for WAY cheaper gas that's less than a mile away from the interstate. Going toward Harmony Road right off the exit and taking that to DE-4 to get a hell of a sub from Capriotti's is worth the five-minute detour.) Further down I-95, in Maryland, the Chesapeake House is probably one of the biggest and cleanest rest houses around. The few times I've driven a customer to Baltimore (or the general area, or further to Washington D.C.), I've stopped there for a bit to stretch and grab a bite before resuming the journey back to Jersey. As for sleeping in the car in the NJ rest stop, if you're doing a solo road trip, sleeping in your car isn't the most uncomfortable prospect. I've done it before, lmao. Plus, a lot of people generally pass through between Boston and Orlando (Boston being a 6-hour drive north from where I am and Orlando being about 15 hours south). Some people try to make it in two shots.. The traffic meeting between I-80 and I-95 is a true clusterfluff during rush hour.. but right before at Exit 14, when I-78 runs into I-95.. that's a big influx of traffic as well and it contributes heavily to the jam at 80/95. ... oh, there is a LOT of left lane hogging in the NJTP in the cars-only section. The speed limit might be 65 and you might think you're not hogging doing 75 in the left lane, but trust me when I say there are people who want to do more who get frustrated at you not getting out of the left lane. Many accidents are caused by people getting frustrated and weaving through the right two lanes to get ahead of the 75MPH hog while the hog always has a smug smile of "haha, I am preventing people from speeding" thinking they're wannabe police or law enforcement, instead of active hazards on the road. The lack of exits is actually a great thing that's taken care of by I-295 (lower half of the state) and the Garden State Parkway (to a MUCH lesser degree in the upper half of the state). You can even see on the map that past the middle of the state and New Brunswick, the exits clump up, 'cause I-295 isn't running parallel anymore to dump off local traffic. The tolling actually doesn't completely cover the roads, either. About 5-ish years ago, NJ had a 23c/gallon Gas Tax hike to help pay for road maintenance here. We went from one of the lowest gas taxes in the country to one of the highest overnight... on top of a ridiculously expensive car registration fee. Plus, motorcyclists are charged a registration fee that's almost double the vehicle registration fee. This is all for "road maintenance", which, in reality, is just roadwork in North Jersey. We usually don't get to see too much work on our roads down here... even though we contribute.
Cars only on the turnpike is NOT RECENT. It has been that way for at least 30 years, probably longer. Also, if you’re an Uber driver, please stop making random U-turns in the middle of roadways. Thanks in advance.
@@rynovoski As per what I said in my post, the Cars Only portion is new between Exit.. I believe 8 and Exit 6. I literally lived *in* New Brunswick as a college student in 2012 and took the TP home to Cumberland County every weekend. I saw that stretch being constructed and the progress that was made every week. The video clearly shows him getting on the TP off I-195, which is Exit 7A. Not my preferred choice as I usually swap from I-295 to the TP at 7, near the Petro station. Also, k-turns are legal in NJ, last I checked. In fact, if you have a license, you had to properly execute one in order to pass the road test. In addition, U-turns off left turn lanes are ALSO legal if there is a physical concrete median. Please know your traffic laws and stop flashing your lights because I won't turn on red when there's a "No Turn On Red" sign and no other cars on the road, because that's only gonna inspire me more to wait for green and slowly turn while staying in first gear.
What impresses me about the NJTP is the fact that they didn't build it on the cheap. They designed a roadway that is probably about as advanced as you can possibly design a limited-access roadway with not only separate roads for cars/ trucks but also the separate on and off ramps feeding those separated roads. I don't believe I have seen any other road anywhere with that feature.
Another thing that would greatly help relive stress from the turnpike is the northeast corridor, the fastest rail line in the US. For people going into the city, esp in central Jersey, taking the train is the best option since an express train takes only about 1.5 hours or less to get to Penn station in Manhattan. And during rush hour, these are double decker trains getting packed in every half hour, so those are a lot of people that aren’t contributing to traffic in New York or on the turnpike
It's waaaaay more than every half hour during rush hour. sometimes every 4 minutes if you live at a stop that has both Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines serving it.
@@jeffm9770yes! Coming from Delaware it’s a lot easier to take the Amtrak from Wilmington up to Connecticut when visiting family. It’s definitely different than the regional rails throughout but still a great option.
I've been traveling the NJTP my whole life en route to Massachusetts, upstate NY, and NYC/Long Island, Across decades I've stopped at every service plaza, and they all rock. It is a great road, and a bargain, not least compared to the nightmare tolls of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. NJTP, as you saw, is very well maintained, also unlike the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
I lived in northern Delaware for 23 years, so I've traveled the NJTP many times. I've also driven through 47 US states. So I have a deep basis for comparison and can confirm that NJTP is indeed a shining example of good roadway design.
As a retired trucker who drove alot on the east coast the turnpike split is one the best designs. Having that separate split and 3 lanes weeds out alot of the poor drivers that create alot of the congestion. I've noticed in the last 10 years a deterioration of trucker etiquette. If a truck wanted to pass it was courtesy to slow down so they could pass easier. Now congestion especially on 2 lane highways is primarily caused by a truck hogging up the left lane.
@@victormena1501 Puerto Rico, no. I almost went there once but circumstances conspired against it. The three states I have not been to are Alaska, Hawaii, and North Dakota. I of course have vague plans to hit all three eventually. Only slightly off-topic, I've also been to 25 countries on four different continents. Related to the topic of this video, I can say that the highways in Belgium and South Africa are both also very good. Other countries have good roadway systems, but those two stand out in my mind as being particularly good.
New Jerseyan here, we love our driving. We know maps by roads instead of cities or destinations. We ask what exit people are from, instead of what town, because that means more to us. We drive the pace of traffic and ignore speed limit signs. Its a beautiful state north south west and east all different too.
How many states in the US can you go from the beach to the mountains to the city (NY or Philly or AC all with internatioanl airports) to farmland to forests.....all within 2 hours? Not many. It was a great state to grow up in with plenty of close by things to do, no matter what your interests are.
Turnpike Hack: 295 parallels for quite a while in south Jersey. Traffic isn't bad on 295 in south jersey. To minimize tolls and maximize efficiency, you can get off 295 N and switch to 95 N at Rt 206 in Bordentown and continue up to North Jersey. It's the closest and most convenient point to transfer. Same for heading south.
@@KoJesko That's true. I'm local to there and dont usually travel south of that interchange. I believe the decades-long work to add more to the interchange is completed this week, of all times. Hopefully that will ease congestion for 295 as a whole. Youre right, 95 would be smoother anyway.
Using 295 you r only saving maybe $3 )) because till at south part for Turn pike is very cheap. The highest toll you pay on Turnpie is from exit 10 to GW Bridge.. ..
I love hopping over using that very exit. The bonus is that the Petro truck stop is there and I usually stop there for a bathroom break and a quick snack. It's essentially a mental "halfway point" for most road trips!
The thing I always loved about the NJ Tpk was that it carried all the trucks, keeping them off of the Garden State Parkway. Having had truck-flung rocks smash my windshield so many times through the years, I avoid them like the plague.
Agree: separate Truck way AND remove all those VA hills that accordions traffic. I don’t understand why the USA has more earth moving equipment and more explosives than any country on planet earth and we can’t flatten hills and even some mountains. NJ doesn’t have those hills to mess with merging traffic.
No, this is what they need -- I-95 in Fairfax County south of the Beltway has reached "full build out", IMHO, with its 4nb-3r-4sb configuration. Currently in Prince William County and southward it goes from 4nb-3r-4sb to 3nb-3r-3sb to 3nb-2r-3sb. The need is for the designation of Future I-97 and building thereof along the US-301 corridor southward from US-50 to I-95/VA-207. That is how capacity should be increased on the I-95 corridor to parallel and bypass I-95 and I-495 and the Washington area. Fairfax County and Prince William County and the Capital Beltway need to bypassed with this highway I-97.
Regularly drove the NJTP many years ago. It looked like no other road in the US. Had a tour of their HQ and Control Center in 1978. It was amazing. They measured speed and volume. That alerted them to potential problems and Emergency Services were dispatched. Many of the overhead signs were changeable and set to rotate so a car passing one sign while changing would find the next doing the same. They could change the type of traffic on the inner & outrer roadways to balance traffic during disruptions. The NJ Turnpike has always been the leader in traffic engineering!
Im a 67 year old lifelong New Yorker who lives on the New Jersey boarder. This commentator is spot on. You never mind paying tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike or the Garden State Parkway because they’re so well maintained, you couldn’t find a pothole if you tried. The New York State Thruway, which is also a toll road is a joke compared to these New Jersey highways. New Jersey does a much better job than New York in maintaining, reinvesting and always improving their highways.
As a resident of Long Island who frequently travels off of it, while I hate the tolls, most NJ roads are a pleasure compared to NYS. The turnpike has gotten expensive though over the last 10 years, and while the rest stops have either been rebuilt or are in the process of being rebuilt, HMS Host, which operates them charge for food like it is an airport, sometimes more. The rest stops are airport grade though.
@@islesfan24the LIE is one of the worst roads I have ever had to deal with. My dad told me he used to drive down to ocean parkway to get to work rather than take the LIE (he lived north of it so it was clearly a detour). That being said northern state and southern state aren’t that awful as long as they get you where you need to go.
As a trucker who drives the turnpike almost daily, its is my fav road to be on. Traffic does move for most of the time and the rest stops are top notch compared to most
I've driven box trucks for work between PA and New England. The ONLY pleasant part of that journey was always the NJ Turnpike. As a car driver I love that trucks are separated. Driving a truck I love that the cars are separated. It had the added benefit of also not trying to shake out my fillings.
I have been driving for 45+ years and at the very start was driving box trucks up and down the NJTP, it has come a LONG way in those 45 years. I have travelled it extensively in many different jobs and family scenarios and find exactly as you said, they've planned it well. In 1985 when I first started a long commute from South Jersey to Exit 9 of the turnpike it was not the best route to take as the car/truck split was just south of my work exit. Over the years they have moved that split much further south and now it is much more manageable. As you stated, when the car/truck lanes combine south bound there is I-295 to take up some of that traffic. Also the lane sizes and striping have made it a much more comfortable drive any time of day or night. Just take exit 11 and go north on the Garden State Parkway and that will make you appreciate the lane sizes and marking of the NJTP! Over the years I have been to 46 of the 50 states in the US and I have never found a roadway that works as well as the NJTP. Of course there are always anomalies that can cause traffic headaches on the Turnpike, but those can be anywhere. We travel down south from South Jersey (to GA, NC & SC where our grandkids are) and the frustration of a 2 lane I-95 can be extreme as you stated in your video. I found your video to be very well done and you explain things very well. Looking forward to viewing more of your videos, and I'm now a subscriber! Thanks.
I live in LA and you nailed it on the left lane hog point you made. We have 12 lane freeways here and slow drivers always keep left. They prefer a wide open lane to themselves while either matching speed or driving at a slower speed than drivers on the right. They create bottlenecks that would be eliminated if they simply kept the same speed they were already driving and merging right and continuing to follow the flow of traffic. I consistantly see 6 lanes of cars driving side by side at exactly the same speed blocking all traffic from getting around. Adding insult to injury, these same drivers keep in the left lane until the absolute last second. They will come to a complete stop on a flowing freeway, waiting for somebody to let them merge 5 lanes over so they can make their exit at the last second. This creates a ripple effect miles down the freeway as drivers have to stop to let them in to make their exits. I used to be a huge proponent of adding more lanes to freeways but judging by the way people drive it would make things even worse.
@@paulrapisYes. But induced demand comes from poor traffic management on surface streets. If they were better magaged people would stay off the freeways. We need highways, but i like the toll concept. Pay for rapid transit. Add freeways, but improve surface roads first. Signal light timing, flyovers, tunnels, dedicated turn lanes all kerp traffic moving on surface roads.
One thing I've alway's liked about the Turnpike vs the Garden State Parkway is the Turnpike collects tolls when you exit it. There are no intermediate toll stations (unlike the Garden State). Those intermediate toll collection stations (even the automated ones) always screw up traffic flow.
I agree with your analysis of the NJ Turnpike. My wife and I were there at the end of last month and, despite the huge amount of traffic, our experience while on it was one of the easiest parts of our trip to Maine. The restrooms at the Wilson Service Center rival Buc-ee's for cleanliness and availability.
In the event of a breakdown or accident that stops traffic it is such a bummer to be stuck sitting there watching the traffic on the other roadway sail along but conversely it is such a joy if you're in the roadway that is clear.
Using that section of I-81 to exemplify how traffic flow can suffer when mixing big rigs and passenger vehicles was a perfect example. I drive it every day and it's always a challenge. I've driven the NJ TPK dozens of times and always loved the dedicated lanes it provides. But you really have to be paying attention when you get to that split for the GW Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel!
@@kirstynloftus826 I’ve done central NJ to Pittsburgh via 78-81-PATP a number of times. The funnest (worst?) part though is the seemingly endless ride down 81 through Virginia. Done some trips to the Roanoke area and that drive is quite truck-heavy and only 2 lanes per direction.
4:20 That rest area was recently renovated. There are a number of other new ones and some currently being demolished and rebuilt. As a pilot I’ve used the NJTP regularly since 2007 to commute from Delaware to Newark Liberty. About 4 years ago I had 2 trips that would allow me to drive to Dulles and save myself 2 days out of a 5 day trip. In paper both EWR and IAD are practically equidistant from home. In reality the drive west through Maryland and DC is inconsistent and stressful. I never realized how much better the drive is on the NJTP until that time. The only downside is that the NJTP is tolled. Thank you for your video.
A long stretch of the turnpike north of I-195 had a huge overhaul about 10-15 years ago. It took years to complete as a construction mess but it seems to have worked out pretty well. Now that 295/76/42 mess over in Camden county is a totally different story.
Very cool to see my home state featured, especially a roadway that I use every day. Minor point of order - the Pulaski Skyway is not part of the NJ Turnpike - it's part of Route 9, that leads into the Holland Tunnel. It doesn't run along the eastern section of the Turnpike, but rather the Route 14 Extension (you call it the Newark Bay Spur, but I've never heard it referred to that way) that goes into the Holland Tunnel. But hard agree that the GWB section of the NJT is a nightmare. Also our rest stops got a pretty significant makeover over the last ten years or so. They used to be a bit dumpier, and looked more like something out of 1970 than 2023. But they're much nicer now.
NJ civil engineer here who has actually designed parts of the NJ Turnpike (Int 18X & the mainline around Int 6 incl. the new merge/diverge) Couple of things - 1) the NJ Tpk is 4 lanes from the start to Int 4, then 6 lanes to the new split south of Int 6, then 3-3-3-3 until Int 11. From Int 11 to the southern mixing bowl it's 4-3-3-4, with the 4th lane dropping through Int 13. North of the mixing bowl it gets complicated. 2) Technically I-95 is on the Eastern spur and NJDOT designates I-95W for the western spur. AASHTO doesn't recognize a I-95W 3) the NJ Turnpike uses 12ft shoulders 4) the NJDOT built I-95 north of US-46 to the GWB. It later sold the roadway to the Turnpike Authority who now maintains it 5) the turnpike authority sends $1.25B annually to NJ Transit. It'll also send $$ to help fund the Gateway Project
My question is why the didn't lose a lane from car and truck lanes at exit 6 and then have just have 4 lanes to merge to 3? Why do they add a bunch of exit lanes and then still need to shrink from 6 to 3?
@@njdevilku1340 - because the long term plan is that the dual roadways will extend further south. The inner roadway is the original turnpike, the outer lanes are new construction. There was an argument to drop the outer roadways to 2 lanes each south of one of the interchanges (I can't remember which) similar to the old dual roadway system where the turnpike went to a 2-3-3-2 config between Int 8A & Int 9. In a $2.5B project it wasn't a significant cost savings to drop the lane.
@@fighter-of-foo I think adding anything more than 3 lanes south of the PA extension is so far off. Once they build a second bridge (and renovate the first bridge) for the PA turnpike crossing of the Delaware, more people (and trucks) will follow I-95 across the Delaware and through Philly. I don't think they will need more lanes south of there for a long time.
@@njdevilku1340 yep, it's the ultimate build out, and will likely never be built. It's one of the reasons why they decided not to extend the dual roadways past Columbus-Florence Road (CR-543) at the southern end, which was the last bridge structure in the project. Fun fact - Mansfield Road West crosses the NJTPK in the north part of Int 6 and spans 20 vehicular lanes
Good documentary on the NJTP. It just needs to be pointed out that the 3x3x3x3 configuration down to the PATP cutoff in Florence was done within the past two decades; it was still 3x3 until about 1 interchange north of that point. Also, the NJTPA used to have some of the most dated rest stops on the East coast until the last 3-5 years, when the state finally invested into renovating all of them - catapulting them into some of the best in the country (once they're all done - there are still few rest stops in S. Jersey that, at the time of writing, are still under rehabilitation.) I'll disagree on two points: the Western spur north of Exit 15 near Newark/Jersey City, is still rather bumpy and the road deck there needs work. Also, if you're looking for diverse gas options, forget it: Sunoco has the NJTP on lock (much like it does with some of the other major tollways east of the Mississippi, e.g. The NYS Thruway and the OH Turnpike.)
If I recall, the 3x3x3x3 section of the NJT was a “shovel-ready” project funded by federal stimulus money during the Great Recession. Those extra, separate lanes seemed to materialize overnight and were a godsend for the previously traffic-choked sections of the NJT from Exit 7 north to NYC. I doubt anyone would have lauded the NJT prior to this investment, but the praise is certainly well-deserved now!
@@robertsteindl5486 I remember driving the NJTP in the 90s. I recall that the drive south of New Brunswick was not as smooth. Strangely, I also recall the bottleneck around the GWB not being as bad as it is now.
Yep, the 3x3x3x3 roadway previously ended just south of exit 8A. The main reason it was extended to just south of exit 6 was because exit 6 was going to become the point where I-95 joined the turnpike, by virtue of PA building an interchange between I-95 and the PA Turnpike. That's all done now.
Just a heads up but there are more than 18 exits as you travel the main path. There were 18 originally, but when others were added they were given an additional letter instead of renumbering the whole thing. There should be 20-21 exits depending on whether you go east or west at the top.
One important feature is that the exits on the Turnpike are primarily made from the right-hand lane. This isn't the case in a lot of other States. People slowing down in the left lane to exit can really screw up traffic. Knowing that the exit will be on the right-hand side of the roadway keeps exiting traffic out of the way of through traffic as the exiting drivers can properly anticipate which side of the road they need to get over to. The Exits are also simply numbered so if you are passing Exit 10 you know you have to get to the right for Exit 11. When roadways use names instead of numbers and the exit might be from either side of the road, unfamiliar drivers end up doing all kinds of crazy maneuvers trying to make an exit at the last minute.
when you look at the exit sign, (the one before the actual exit) the side of the number on the top of the sign is the side the exit is on. I wish more people knew this.
Congratulations you’ve given the turnpike credit for matching interstates, which universally have numbered exits and the overwhelming majority of which have right side on/off ramps. And on the rare occasion I’ve seen left side exits, they’re clearly marked miles in advance. You’ve never left the tri state area, clearly.
I'm a trucker, ran it yesterday and this morning. I do like the separation of the bigger vehicles, less crazy 4 wheelers to worry about. 2:40 Very pretty, first time of been on this style of suspension bridge too.
I like this channel is nuanced where you counter the urbanists ‘cars bad so more lanes induce demand so they’re always bad’ and show instances where more lanes are good and other areas where it’s better to have fewer lanes
Except that better Transit access would make the Turnpike unnecessary and speed up travel times. When you have density, you want Trains, not more lanes
@@coastaku1954i hear you, I would prefer more dense walkable spaces and mass transit too as I’m in dfw sprawl, we just got Texrail in the last 5 years in Ft worth which is 1st class Swiss stadler trains with low ridership because it’s mostly park and ride, Grapevine has built up some midrises around their station but most everyone there still has cars and see the train as more a novelty than every day commuting option and unfortunately really there’s only so much you can do when there’s so much sprawl already built up
@@user-Jamie218 Unless we want to look like hypocrites, we can't just demolish neighborhoods for new right-of-ways like the planners of the mid-20th century
@@coastaku1954It’s too late to talk dense development for a lot of metropolitan areas. They are already sprawled. So you have to build transportation accordingly to what each metropolitan area needs.
Excellent video on the NJ turnpike! Please do a video on the Boston area - some suggestions include: 1. The Big Dig (central artery tunnel and Ted Williams tunnel) 2. The horribly designed I-93 Southeast expressway from the central artery to the Braintree split 3. The inefficient clover leaf interchange between I-93 and I-95 in Woburn 4. Route 128 in its entirety 5. The design of the Mass Pike
Been on the turnpike a few times in my life, but most recently this past month. Everything you said is accurate, including the sadness at the end when you reach the GW. I should also mention another thing about the turnpike that you don't mention, which is that unlike many highways in the northeast, the NJTP barely has any curves, and the few curves it does have don't require any speed reduction. I think that plays a huge role in the flow of traffic. The only place there are considerable turns is right around when it's abeam Manhattan, but even then it's manageable.
Yes, because of the smoothness and lack of curves, the Turnpike is one of the only highways where it truly is consistently safe to do 100 MPH if you were alone.
I love that the clip about the mix of cars and heavy trucks leading to poor traffic flow showed I-81 in VA, which is about the only interstate I've been on that delivers white-knuckle driving in any weather 365 days a year. While I'm not a big fan of the southern 4-lane portion of the NJT, even that stretch isn't so bad after spending 3 hours on I-95 from Richmond to DC and another 2 hours in Maryland where the left lane is the slow lane, and the right one's for maniacs. Passing Exit 5 feels good. Whatever the signs say, the speed limit seems to be 80 - 85 as long as you aren't being a knucklehead, tailgaters are few and far between, and you can set the cruise and relax a little until you're approaching Newark. Traffic gets heavy but keeps moving ok until you hit the backups caused by the crossings into NYC. I'm usually headed into Brooklyn via the Outer Bridge crossing and Staten Island, which generally isn't quite as bad as the tunnels or the GWB. 100% agreed, the Turnpike is the best road for making time A to B that I've driven.
Having driven (or being in cars driven) on the NJTP more times that I can remember, I agree that the road is one of the best, especially when compared to surrounding states (the PA Turnpike isn't great). The only thing I'd add is that if your destination is beyond NYC (e.g., Connecticut), switch to the Garden State Parkway to the NYS Thurway at some point... no matter what your GPS tells you.
NJ Turnpike is truly an engineering marvel. Its design is ahead of its time and provides an example of how a controlled access highway should be built. Never appreciated it as much growing up in NYC/North Jersey but once I moved away I am amazed at is awesomeness!!! 🛣️
The Turnpike is probably the best engineered highway in the US. Unfortunately, the Turnpike is the Rodney Dangerfield of highways, it gets no respect. The Turnpike goes past some pretty ugly places, especially in North Jersey. Swamps, garbage dumps, chemical plants, etc. The highway was routed through those areas to hold down construction costs. That's all most people travelling the Turnpike see of Jersey do they think the entire state looks like that.
The Garden State Parkway that runs parallel the coast is fantastic! Would love to see an episode dedicated to this road and the different beach/offshore communities there are along it.
Riding on the NJTP was one of my fondest memories road tripping as a kid during vacations. The retro sign designs (before they took it down and replace it during the last decade), the wide lanes and the lane markings, and especially the service areas with the food and fuel. Probably the most frequent one i went to was the Walt Whitman SP on the SB side. The turnpike is definitely a great example of how a highway should be.
Thank you for your take on the NJTP. I lived in Jersey 52 years off Exit 12 and 5 years off of Exit 10. Been up and down it too many times to count always smooth sailing. Now in Florida the last 8 years, dealing with, I 95, I-75 and I-4, though no comp to the NJTP.
I travel the entire length of the NJ turnpike regularly. What an amazing video! But a few things you got wrong about the roadway. One third of the turnpike (the southern portion) is a crappy 4-lane divided highway that hasn't been updated since it was built. That's right -- all that traffic from 6 lanes goes down to 3 (at the PA Turnpike exit), and then down to 2(!) at Exit 4. For nearly 40 miles. It is often backed-up and becomes a traffic jam, especially at the two merge points (6 > 3 and then 3 > 2). It is extremely frustrating the southern portion of the turnpike hasn't seen any attention in nearly 60+ years. When heading north, Waze or an equivalent GPS or map app will tell you which spur to take as you head to GWB. Sometimes the eastern spur is faster, and other times the western spur is faster. Same with what level to take on GWB itself (upper or lower level). Even if you know your route, the real-time traffic data these apps provide is invaluable to get you through these traffic tie-ups as quickly as possible. (For the past few years, the GWB has just been a virtual parking lot no matter the time of day or day of the week -- it is way beyond its useful capacity and the roadways around it regularly get clogged up with traffic.) Good luck!
1:10 The best thing that happened to the NJTP was extending the 3+3 lanes further south to the PA Turnpike extension. (Also Pennsylvania recently built a direct connection from the PA extension to I-95) thus the I-95 path/naming scheme. Labor Day weekend, etc. used to get 5-mile backups on the southbound lanes where the northern 3+3 section narrows down to a single 3 lane section. Otherwise it's usually an excellent highway to drive on.
Oh good. That re-merge going south, especially on the Sunday after Thanksgiving when it seemed as if all the world were traveling on that road at that time, was horrible. Glad things have improved.
I came here to say that. I remember that bottleneck well. Up until about 2007 or so, if memory serves. Now that they've extended the 3x3x3x3 to the PA extension (and Pennsylvania improved that road's connectivity on its side), everything is fine - the Turnpike main line still loses a bunch of lanes at that junction, but it loses plenty of traffic at the same time
@@funksoulmonkeyyep. A lot of cars drift off at that exit to follow 95 into PA heading towards Philly so the lane reduction doesn’t matter as much. That has worked wonders.
They are planning on moving the 3+3 even further south, but I forget how far. They are also taking a look at connecting the NJTP to NJ42, but that will be an environmental ordeal.
In terms of the exits to get you to NYC, you could have added Exit 13 for I-278 and the Goethels Bridge. This route takes you across Staten island and then the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn. Whenever I have used it, the traffic on I-278 has been congested (stated politely).
Agreed! Despite congestion, Exit 13 Goethals Bridge I-278 to Verrazano Bridge is the best route into NYC. Except for Manhattan, I-278 travels through each NYC Borough.
My sister lives in Brooklyn...it seems to me, despite the traffic, it's the best way to get to Brooklyn from Philly or even Wilmington or "points south", i.e. Washington, DC
I live in central NJ and sometimes need to drive 50 miles to JFK to pickup/drop off friends and relatives. If there is no traffic, the trip takes 1 hour. But I have to budget 5 hours, because NY roads are medieval.
im from jersey and when i was a kid, the turnpike was most hated. and also the most boring part of trips from down south to the garden state parkway. its great to see how much its improved. great video.
The only bad thing about the NJ turnpike are the horrendous toll plazas at exits 13, 14 and 15. So awful to get into the correct lane for where you’re going. One correction from the video: NJ turnpike currently still allows cash payments; you get a ticket when you enter the turnpike and submit the ticket when you exit, paying cash for the distance you traveled. NJTPA has announced plans to migrate to all-electronic open-road tolling which will hopefully eliminate the horrible toll plazas. I use the turnpike regularly to go exactly 1 exit; from Goethals Bridge (exit 13) to I-78 (exit 14) and back. The toll is about $2 and saves about 15 minutes compared to using US-1/9. Worth it.
Yeah even after 30 years of driving in NJ I accidentally swung into wrong curved entry lane and ended up going back south instead of north) no need to mention that you need to go 10-15 miles to make ur u turn ))
My experience on the NJT was the opposite of yours in use, but similar in appreciation. Occasionally there are bottlenecks at the southbound merge where the truck split ends but typically the traffic flow is great in the southern sections. I use 287 to avoid the north sections around Newark and NYC access, but use the southern section to get to the DMB. The rest areas are well timed for my travels in that section rather than hunting for services off 295. Nice to see the appreciation for the NJT.... did you also try the extra lane nightmare known as the Garden State Parkway?
Well if you are a trucker (or anyone trying to avoid NYC or the GWB), most people would leave the Turnpike, and take 287 to the Cuomo Bridge to bypass that mess on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Which is one of the worst roads in the USA. If I'm traveling up to New England (by car), I'd take the Pike to Exit 11, and take the Parkway to the northern terminus (NJ/NY) and take 287 north/east (the NY Thruway) thru Westchester to pick up I-95 or . The Parkway is longer than the Pike, but you don't have to worry about trucks until Exit 105 when trucks are allowed southbound all the way to the terminus in Cape May. Also the lanes are narrower on the Parkway, due to the fact that there aren't any trucks.
I remember when the NJTpk was first opened (I was 8 years old in 1951)...we were AGOG! Only about two hours to NYC from Philly (where we lived). It was INCREDIBLE!
It's amazing how different the roads are in nearby Pennsylvania. Most of the interstates are designed horribly, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike can be awful at times. The drivers are overall a lot better in New Jersey too.
Do the still have the "New Jersey is the safest state" inspection stickers? For as crazy as Northern NJ drivers are I learned to appreciate that when I moved away 😂😂
Living in South Jersey, I can confirm this. NJ has the better drivers. Whenever there is a vehicle with Pennsylvania plates in front of me, I brace myself for some crazy or stupid maneuver. More often than not it will happen.
But when Jersey drivers get into Pa, they strive to put Jersey drivers ahead of New Yawk drivers as the “worst Drivers” on the east coast. Traffic laws don’t apply to them. Problem in NJ is local people know where they’re going, as the signs are put up too late for out of state drivers. Or they hide the signs behind trees!
@@bludiablo No, NJ has just about totally done away with inspections. Whereas in the past, if your headlights might interfere with another driver, you were failed, now if you can pass the emission test, you are good to go, even if your brakelights don't work. Tis a shame.
I live in north Delaware and travel to Long Island and back frequently for the past 40 yrs. The NJT is indeed a good road to travel on and the rest stops have all been upgraded in recent years. My mood changes when I hit Staten Island,and and then the Belt Parkway!
NJ may have terrible drivers but the Turnpike is great. I'm from Long Island and drove to Philly each of the last 2 years. Having 3 lanes of consistently moving traffic that are separated from the 3 lanes 18 wheelers have to drive in is such a pleasure.
@@ffrick73 PA and CT drivers, yes. Real New Yorkers don't drive 60 in the left lane. 55 means 70 here on Long Island. Anything less than 75-80 in the left lane(s) on the Turnpike is slow.
I've been on the NJTP once in 2017, and I can definietly confirm that's the congestion is lower thanks to it's inner and outer lanes. I believed I came on from I 287 down to Six Flags in Jackson, NJ.
Being from Nj, one common theme is that people tell you where they live by what exit of the NJTP you are from. I'm from Exit 1. A local brewery even made different beers named for the exits. Having a GF from NYC also means I have traveled the entire length many times in both directions. I agree, I have yet to drive on a better highway anywhere in the US, and I have driven on highways in Maine, Florida, Mighigan, Ohio, NY, Nevada, NC, DE, MD, PA, and others I am forgetting.
I think highway planners in densely-populated developing countries should visit and study the NJTP to see how highways are done efficiently. I think the State of New Jersey should offer that as an international service.
Great video! Very thorough and well-researched for a non-New Jerseyan! Being my home state I thank you! The Turnpike is frequently overlooked or taken for granted… but it is a vital artery and in the last 10 years or so has impressively improved despite more people being on the road than ever before. One thing I wanted to mention (since so many others are chiming in) is that part of the reason left lane hogging isn’t typically as much of an issue on the Turnpike (or in NJ as a whole) is that in NJ, by law, the left lane is the passing lane and failing to pass in the left lane or using it for travel when there are no vehicles to pass is a ticket-able offense and YES, state troopers *will* enforce it as I have seen them do it over the years. Apparently it is a $100-$300 fine, 2 points on driver record, plus an additional $50 surcharge that goes to fund to maintain road signs and educate the public about the dangers from failing to keep right. We take driving efficiently very seriously in NJ haha. Additionally, NJ DOT’s winter plowing operations are top-notch and truly a sight to behold. Having grown up in Central NJ and gone to school/lived in NYC for a decade now, I’ve spent plenty of hours on the Turnpike (when not on the excellent NJ Transit commuter rail) and I have to say it does a damn good job and people may scoff but it is something I’m proud of. NJ is a very underrated, misconstrued, and misunderstood state. I actually think it’s one of the best examples of states that use taxpayer/inhabitant money effectively and responsibly… and they better because NJ taxes are no joke. But again, we do have great public schools which for the most part are on par with or surpass private schools! I digress.
7:30 Something to note about left-lane hogging being less prominent on the Turnpike is that NJ Troopers are the only police I've ever seen enforce a "slower traffic keep right" law and ticket a lane hog. I'm pretty sure that's a much bigger contributor to the infrequency of it than a three lane layout. When rules are enforced, they tend to be followed a bit more.
Oh yeah, and there's a ton of extra state troopers keeping an eye on traffic for both the Turnpike and the Parkway. Unless you're driving recklessly, the cops here aren't focused on people going over the speed limit; they're focused on people going much faster or slower than the general flow of traffic. Even if it's for a few miles, if you're going slow in the left lane, they'll pull you over
@@iliketrains0pwned Turnpike is a major pipeline for drugs going to Philly, NYC, and points North. For some reason people who have a vehicle loaded with dope think they will be less conspicuous by driving under the speed limit. The police know this.
NJTP is on par with the great freeway system of Phoenix Arizona. Obviously, comparing the two are like comparing apples and oranges. I've never been on the NJTP, but I have been on the Phoenix freeway system. Your video provides the same driving pleasure the Phoenix freeway system provides this West Coast Road Geek. Since the bulk of Phoenix' freeways were built after 1990, Maricopa County was able to avoid the "mistakes "of other municipality/state/federal urban freeway design. The NJTP is on my freeway "bucket list." I hope the NJTP gets widened south beyond the I-95 split, and somehow offers transition ramps to the parallel I-295. I don't see that happening, since the NJTP might lose potential revenue to the parallel I-295. Keep on keeping on with the videos, Mike. Your videos Rock! Thanks for sharing.
As someone who lives in Jersey and is very familiar with the TurnPike, you just made me think about a lot of stuff that I never thought of throughout my entire life with. the NJTP. For one, it definitely does discourage short-distance trips since there are only 18 total exits (and take it from me, they are very FAR APART!). 2, the roads are definitely always smooth. 3, in my entire life, I can't ever recall ever sitting in any type of traffic while on the TurnPike. 4, splitting car and trucks apart from each other also greatly contribute to the lack of traffic and the continuous flow
As a trucker, my favorite roads to drive on when it comes to high traffic are roads like the NJ Turnpike, Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway and the 401 in Toronto.
I think the 401 in Toronto have too many access for its express lanes. They become congested at the same points as the collectors when they really should be made for those having no business in Toronto. The 407 bypass have insane tolls.
When approaching the split in 1976,a grey Cadillac with ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS stenciled on the driver's door was parked on the safety zone with the occupants having left the car and looking up at the sign.I had noticed the car about 60-70 miles earlier in the South.Those Texans got the Jersey screw.
They have done many improvements in the last 10-15 years on the NJ Turnpike. From expanding to 6 lanes between exits 6-9 and also now they are expanding the exit and on ramps to multiple lanes. It was a nightmare getting off exit 9 when I worked in northern Jersey. Traffic is still there but moving quicker in the morning hours now from what I’ve seen lately. Too bad PennDot in PA is the exact opposite.
I migrated to US in 1999, and first used Penna turnpike in 2000. It was undergoing repairs and maintenance. They haven’t finished yet. I will probably live till 2050. Hoping to see that work completed before I shuffle off.
@@wesleymouch7498 The Pennsylvania Turnpike is the oldest long-distance highway in the U.S., and has been undergoing total reconstruction and six-lane widening on the oldest segments, which are from MM 57-MM 226, between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. By comparison, the original road bed is still in decent condition from MM 226-MM 320, between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, though total reconstruction and six-lane widening will soon come to the segment from MM 298-MM 320. It took the state of Georgia 30 years to reconstruct and widen I-75 to six lanes through the entire state, and that's with federal assistance. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is five miles longer than I-75 in Georgia, so it's going to take the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission at least as long to do the same, especially given the lack of federal assistance.
As a NJ Uber driver I frequent the GSP daily and after traveling to other states I no longer take it for granted! It's a beautifully well-thought out logistics solutions. Kudos to bringing light to it!
10:17 when you talk about a city government diverting funds collected to fund transit, I don't completely agree that all revenue collected should only go towards the road maintenance. If a government created a parallel public transport option for travelers along the corridor, and part of the toll revenue went to subsidize that parallel option, the toll road could be three lanes in either direction for the entire corridor and the price of the toll could be adjusted to have free flowing traffic at all times taking up less land and giving an option for those priced off the toll road. Of course enough of the toll revenue would have to keep the quality of the road high enough for those willing to pay the higher price of driving the corridor.
For as much as I pick on New Jersey, I will say that the freeway system in that state is very decent to drive on. That's one thing the Garden State definitely got right.
Other than crazy Property taxes or high cost of living, what else is there to dislike about NJ ? Great Food, beaches, casinos, mountains, not extreme weather, multi cultural and diverse, good school system, proximity to NY , Philly and DC (on either side) and others.
I live in PA and have driven through Jersey for various regions and been on the turnpike. Maybe a dozen times. Never really thought about it being a particularly special Turnpike, but always noticed it was a very fine drive.
But the rest stops on the NJ Turnpike are super!! Essentially giant Buc--ee's. But if you try to pump your own gas in Jersey? I think the penalty is death and goes up from there.
The biggest problem is when they decided to rip out all of the mature trees along the turnpike through Mercer and Burlington counties, making for constant crosswinds that used to be deflected. It’s less safe without the trees.
It is sad yes, but part of that was for widening the Turnpike and the all the work they did on it, no? Additionally older trees can be a hazard for roadways particularly in the winter.
First time watcher. Reminded me of the many exciting trips I made to NYC as a young man. I found your video informative and oddly soothing. Thank you. You’ve earned a new subscriber.
There's another reason to consider using the Turnpike even if you can manage the trip entirely though 295 and that's to avoid the bottleneck that occurs around route 42. That general area involves a great deal of merges, with 76 and 676 (traffic from the Walt Whitman and Ben Franklin Bridge) coming together before becoming route 42. At the other end there's route 55 and route 42 which merge together (and has an absolutely abysmal bottleneck). These merges create heavy volume for the very brief section where 295 and 42 merge. The area has been under construction to fix this for decades but little headway has been made.
It was supposed to be done in 2025, but the wall collapse has put it WAAAY behind schedule. There's actually a local blog for the are (42 Freeway) that does a lot of articles about the road work that goes on in the area, new shops that opened, and other general updates about the area. I'm just glad they FINALLY opened Missing Moves. Being an Uber driver, taking someone from Blackwood to their job in Amazon in Swedesboro was hell trying to get from 42N to I-295S.
I live in south jersey and have dealt with this area my entire life, it is SO annoying. Just constantly under construction and there’s never any progress made
The 55 bottleneck into 42 was actually just finished a few weeks ago, it's 2 lanes now and it's a dream. Still, they're probably only about 30% done with all the work in the 295/42 exchange.
The one thing you should always do when driving into NYC is, DON'T. There are plenty of train stations along the way park there and avoid driving there at all.
This is not the first time you've had kind words for New Jersey, and I thank you for that. Yes, I believe the NJ Turnpike is the best, and most famous, highway in the nation. Designed and built when NJ in general had the best roads in the country. Sadly, many of our roads are not in the best shape now, but the Turnpike and Parkway are fabulous.
One point to mention when going Northbound after crossing the Delaware bridge it’s only 2 lanes in each direction, not exactly sure when it opens up to 3x3 or when the 2x2 starts Southbound. Also another point expect to pay about $40/50 in tolls from the start of the NJTP after the Delaware bridge crossing into NYC
The NJTP also inspired ON-401's modern design, though the MTO didn't ape the best idea. They DID, however, steal the rest areas; the ONroute system is actually damn good.
No the NJP and 401 aren’t similar at all because on the 401 Trucks and cars can use either the center or right lanes of travel there’s numerous highway junctions exits, no tolls and horrendous traffic every day
Reminds me of Florida's Turnpike. Back when it was built (before electronic tolling), you would drive through a toll booth and get a ticket that designated which entry point you started on (I think it used a punch hole well into the 1990s). There were rest areas with fuel stations and some shopping and then when you go to your destination, you would shove the card in, it would figure out where you started and where you were ending and it would calculate your total toll. I think that it required a toll booth attendant because they did not have an unattended way to pay via credit card and very few people would carry $15 in quarters.😄
Actually yes. I once took the northbound cars only lanes on a Saturday in August 2022 and there was an accident there. Local lanes would have worked better. Saturday is usually the least busy truck traffic day too.
.I've been driving the TP for 25 years and as much as I griped about it I have to agree with you. Its clear there is a lot of thought when into its design. Love that that the NJTP authority proffered free coffee during the overnight in the holiday season. I learned the trick of taking 295 from ex 7 to Del to save a couple of bucks on the toll. Before advent of EZ pass it was the damn two way toll in Delaware (which has all of 12 miles of 95) that had traffic back up into two states - Deleware didm’t care. Jersey was always clear northbound after the Del-Mem bridge. I always took the trucks and bus lanes as I found the drivers there were more professional, safer and courteous. I’ve not driven the TP north of exit 10 very much; I usually got off at exit 10 to get to Long Island via the Outterbridge and Staten Island to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the horrible Belt Parkway. My favorite stop was the J. Fenimore Cooper Rest stop near exit 4. Note too that gas was always cheaper in NJ than in Maryland or New York. Always topped off at J. Fenimore Cooper.
I’m from cherryhill everytime I can I hop onto the turnpike even when I could go the free way but the traffic is so light on the turnpike i can get anywhere during rush hour Philly traffic
Remember that in New Jersey, the Turnpike is *one* way of getting to New York. You have America's best rail system along the Northeast Corridor with the highest ridership in North America. It's not the best, but it works extremely well, allowing for far less traffic on the turnpike.
There are actually 21 exits on the mainline. 7A, 8A, 13A are separate exits added between the original 1-16, 18. 17 is a southbound only exit. South of exit 4 it is 2 lanes in each direction. Between exits 11 & 14 it is 4x3x3x4 except for 1 mile. Cash payment is still accepted on the Turnpike.
Imagine living in a place where you didn't have to drive a 4000lb 100sqft hunk of steel powered by life destroying dinosaur bones at deadly speeds everywhere to simply exist. Car brain is real.
Yeah, that exists, they're called cities and we have plenty of them. But there's a good reason most people don't want to live in them. Imagine living in a place that's so densely packed that you have barely any privacy, room to spread out, safety to raise a family, or ability to own a vehicle (one of the greatest liberating luxurious of modern life), and have to be around constant filth and crime all while spending ridiculous money to live there.
@@horseradish4046 Around 35%, up from around 30% 20 years ago while suburban as stayed about the same and rural has declined so people do want to live in cities. Cities are generally safer per capita than rural and suburban areas, that's a misconception that cities are dangerous - you watch too much fox news. Many people raise families in cities, they offer many advantages. And owning a vehicle is a burden not liberating. You my friend are suffering from car brain. Which is more freeing - being able to simply wait for a train or bus then sit down and get where you need to go, or having to pay for insurance, maintenance, fuel, worry about parking, have to literally work to get anywhere, have to be clear and of sober mind (kind be too tired, have drank too much, be on some type of med, etc.) and if for some reason your vehicle is inoperable good luck making it to work and maintaining employment, better hope you have the few thousand dollars needed to fix it and your work is cool with you needing to take some emergency time off. Additionally in the US the only city you can realistically exist without a car is NYC and maybe Chicago, because american public transit is an absolute joke, and even then good luck leaving the city without renting the car. I promise you the majority of the developed world isn't like this. Furthermore, pedestrian deaths have nearly doubled over the last 20 years, not gone down, in stark contrast to the rest of the developed world. The for some reason allows giant trucks and SUVs which plow over humans rather than hitting a human below their center of mass causing them to roll over the hood, and they allow any Jane Dick or Tom to drive them without any special license because they took the easiest 20 minute test in the world once in a Toyota Camry 15 years ago.
I really loved the dynamic signs on the non - separated part of the Turnpike. And I noticed that even though the volume of cars increases during rush hour, the traffic still flows very freely.
I drove the Turnpike solo for the first time last year as I drove from DC to Newark. On my northbound trip, I made the mistake of using the mixed vehicle lanes. I stuck to the cars-only lane on my return trip and it was an amazing ride.
I'd like to be clear on one point here. The NJ Turnpike (and the Garden State Parkway, managed by the same authority, and the Atlantic City Expressway which isn't) does in fact contribute sizable funds each year to state public transit projects. Which in turn acts to divert commuters, particularly in the northernmost sections of the turnpike, from using the turnpike to keep road capacity available, all without any risk of running out of funds to maintaint he Turnpike (and Parkway, etc).
That's true. Also, the toll to enter NYC is $16.00. The train fare is not all that much more even for longer trips, may be less for shorter ones, and involves no driving, cost of gas, or depreciation on your car. For a commuter, that's a no-brainer.
Without discounting the public transit that actually works in that region, there are a lot of other lanes adding capacity. In addition to the 4+3+3+4 of the NJTP, there is also 6+6 in northern sections of the GSP, and additional local traffic handled by the 3+3 and 4+4 of US9 and US1...which all more or less run parallel to each other.
This is the only actual way to reduce overall traffic on roadways.
Path Trains are $5.50 for each round trip for commuters from Hoboken, Journal Square, and Newark to Lower Manhattan.
@@Baribrotzer If you park in a parking garage in Manhattan for the day it will cost you at least $30, so the train wins for up to about 3 people.
One of the things not mentioned in the video, and it's a little hard to tell here, is that the NJ Turnpike Authority decided many years ago to exceed the federal lane stripe standard. Per USDOT, lane stripes are 10 feet long and 4 inches wide, with a 30 foot gap (40 feet from any point in a lane stripe to the same point in the next stripe). The Turnpike and Parkway use 20-foot lane stripes that are 6 inches wide, with 20-foot gaps. Those longer wider stripes are an absolute asset at night and/or in poor weather.
So that's why the lanes feel so wide and luxurious
This optical illusion also makes you feel like you’re standing still when you’re going 85 MPH 😂 Luckily not many speed traps
MUTCD has either 4 or 6 inches for the width, defined by emphasis. Pretty much every limited access I've seen is 6". Edge lines vary from more drastically than brokens.
I noticed this too- looks like runway striping and it’s great to see
Reflectors help, too.
I regularly take the Jersey Turnpike when I drive up from Maryland to see family in NYC. It’s an insanely smooth and very well-maintained road. They did a great job planning and managing it.
Do you hog the left lane like all the other Maryland drivers? 😂
@@pfphilly5962tell me about it, annoying AF
@@pfphilly5962 Dont get us confused with Virginia drivers now 🙃
@@chuanatia90nope those are maryland drivers, just come to dmv
@@pfphilly5962apparently Maryland doesn't have a left lane law. Talked to a bunch of people from MD and they had no damn clue. Had to re teach my man how to drive in jersey lmao
I grew up in NJ and I’ve always felt that we should be proud of the Turnpike. Nice to see someone from outside the NY metro area confirm that. I’ve driven up and down the east coast for decades so I have a strong basis for comparison.
It's like being proud that your fentanyl is the best.
@@lephtovermeetThat is an unwarranted comment. The turnpike has several benefits compared to other road systems.
New Jersey is a really pretty state tbh
@@lephtovermeet NJ/NYC Heroin has been known to be the best LOL
Why we NJ'ians should pay?????????????????
I have traveled the NJ Turnpike countless times, especially in my younger years when I lived back east. One thing worth noting is that if your car breaks down on the Turnpike, the Turnpike Authority has a towing service in place to get your car to a repair shop. No charge for this service as the toll you pay subsidizes the service!
Nope...not true. You have to pay.
Yeah, definitely not free, and they won’t let you call your own tow company because of state contracts. One good thing is AAA will pay for it.
@@brianmorg Question: so if I break down, I call AAA as normal and AAA notifies the NJTA?
@@brianmorg AAA will only pay the authorized Turnpike tow operator to tow your car to the nearest exit. At that point you have to call of a AAA truck.
@@MrSloikaI’ve been towed to the dealer from the NJTP by the same truck.
The electronic toll collection was a huge improvement. Back in the '70s and even the '80s, it was not unusual to be in a toll booth lane for 10 minutes.
It’s kind of amazing how much time that would add to your ride.
Correct. The south toll plaza was a nightmare headed to Delaware.
Today you can still enjoy that experience at exit 18 and for 30 minutes if you're lucky.
True. The reason for that was, when you get on, you would get a little ticket that told you what you had to pay depending on when you got off. So when you finaly got to a toll plaza, people would fish around the car for change to pay the amount.
Yeah! Who remembers taking/getting a ticket when entering the TP; which you'd tuck into the sun visor, then forget it was there when hit with a blast of winter sun in one of the easterly or westerly sections?
As someone who lives in NJ, I can confirm it's importance and excellent design
It would be nice if people in New Jersey learned road manners especially around trucks just saying....I know it's not only New Jersey drivers but man sometimes I question how people got a license...
Until you get down to two lanes in south Jersey then it’s a headache
Almost all long-haul truckers in the US are professional and courteous and mindful of good road manners. I cannot say the same for European truckers. I live in Paris, France but was raised in Philadelphia, PA so I have had driving experience with both. Most European truckers are also professional, but I have had VERY bad experiences with more than one trucker on the "périphérique" (beltway) around Paris. @@truckercowboyed2638
@@zachfila Boring drive on that part of the Turnpike and if there is an accident in either direction you're screwed.
@@zachfila FR although I live north of the two lane section
As a NJ native, this video brought me great joy. The NJTP is iconic, and I love it. Great video!👍🏾
On Sundays weekend travelers returning to NYC can result in a backup heading Northbound sometimes 20-30 miles long, say at Exit 9.------I still don't agree that states build these highways for non-locals to be diverted away. The Turnpike is the only quick way for suburban towns like New Brunswick to get to Manhattan. You pay, but the gas is cheap in NJ as a compromise for paying tolls. ----You should mention the tolls over the GWB for trucks which is $120 to cross one time. These toll amounts are how NY plugs budget holes each year.
One other thing to remember about the turnpike rest stops is that the state government and the authority have been adding EV charging stations at each stop. So if you need a 20-30 minute charge, a short meal, cup of coffee, a bathroom break or other necessary stop can fuel up you and the car! Way to go Jersey!
S/O to my home state 🫡
NJ Driver here. Uber driver, to be specific, so I've generally used these roads ALL the time. Primarily operating in the Philly/South Jersey/Delaware areas, but I drive in North Jersey on occasion.
Believe it or not, the part where you got onto the turnpike from I-295 (I believe Exit 7-A? It's been a while since I've taken that exit) wasn't always separated. Back in 2012, when I lived in Central Jersey (was a student at Rutgers New Brunswick) and taking the TP to commute back home to south jersey on a weekly basis, that part of the turnpike was still only 3 by 3 and the extra lanes were still under construction. The "Cars Only" part *was* the turnpike, and the current "Cars, Trucks, Buses" were still being built. The biggest trouble the construction ran into was having to basically rebuild EVERY bridge over the turnpike to accommodate these extra six lanes.
I mostly mention this, because you mentioned it was a good idea about how poor mixing vehicles is and how you liked the Cars Only concept. It's relatively recent (to my knowledge) and hopefully the concept does pick up in other, heavily congested areas, to help alleviate traffic flow.
Also, guiltily, depending on time of the day, it's actually clearer on the Cars/Trucks/Buses lane, 'cause every single car out there will take the Cars Only and congest it while I'm one of the only cars in the outer lanes with a freer traffic flow (and truck drivers generally aren't jerks that swap lanes last second, usually without a turn signal), so it's arguably safer. At certain times of day, of course. It takes years of driving these roads to really get an intuition on it, so I can't exactly put it into words, sorry...
The part of the turnpike in the lower half of the state really isn't that much faster than taking I-295 like you did (from the Delaware Memorial Bridge to roughly the area you got on) and you might save 5-10 minutes on an average day. The only time you'd really prefer to use it is if you're traveling during rush hour. The Exit 26-27 area of I-295 gets INSANELY congested because of the I-295/I-76/SR-42 (and Atlantic City Expressway)/SR-55 conglomeration in that tiny little area that has been under construction since I got my license in 2007, lol. The turnpike neatly bypasses that horror show, saving you probably 20+ minutes if you're unfortunate enough to be close to Philly between 6:30-8:00AM or 4:30-6:30PM M-F. Philly workers all mob I-295 to their local neighborhoods while the TP remains mostly.. unaffected.
As for the bathrooms being clean and the impressiveness of the rest stops, most of the I-95 rest stops (at least around here) are clean and well taken care of. The one in Delaware, during the 10-ish miles you're in that state, is great both because it's cheaper than most places, Delaware's gas is cheaper than NJ or Maryland, and there's no state sales tax for if you want to buy fast food or hit up the convenience store. (Although, I would say just take Exit 3 off to DE-273 and hit up one of those gas stations for WAY cheaper gas that's less than a mile away from the interstate. Going toward Harmony Road right off the exit and taking that to DE-4 to get a hell of a sub from Capriotti's is worth the five-minute detour.) Further down I-95, in Maryland, the Chesapeake House is probably one of the biggest and cleanest rest houses around. The few times I've driven a customer to Baltimore (or the general area, or further to Washington D.C.), I've stopped there for a bit to stretch and grab a bite before resuming the journey back to Jersey.
As for sleeping in the car in the NJ rest stop, if you're doing a solo road trip, sleeping in your car isn't the most uncomfortable prospect. I've done it before, lmao. Plus, a lot of people generally pass through between Boston and Orlando (Boston being a 6-hour drive north from where I am and Orlando being about 15 hours south). Some people try to make it in two shots..
The traffic meeting between I-80 and I-95 is a true clusterfluff during rush hour.. but right before at Exit 14, when I-78 runs into I-95.. that's a big influx of traffic as well and it contributes heavily to the jam at 80/95.
... oh, there is a LOT of left lane hogging in the NJTP in the cars-only section. The speed limit might be 65 and you might think you're not hogging doing 75 in the left lane, but trust me when I say there are people who want to do more who get frustrated at you not getting out of the left lane. Many accidents are caused by people getting frustrated and weaving through the right two lanes to get ahead of the 75MPH hog while the hog always has a smug smile of "haha, I am preventing people from speeding" thinking they're wannabe police or law enforcement, instead of active hazards on the road.
The lack of exits is actually a great thing that's taken care of by I-295 (lower half of the state) and the Garden State Parkway (to a MUCH lesser degree in the upper half of the state). You can even see on the map that past the middle of the state and New Brunswick, the exits clump up, 'cause I-295 isn't running parallel anymore to dump off local traffic.
The tolling actually doesn't completely cover the roads, either. About 5-ish years ago, NJ had a 23c/gallon Gas Tax hike to help pay for road maintenance here. We went from one of the lowest gas taxes in the country to one of the highest overnight... on top of a ridiculously expensive car registration fee. Plus, motorcyclists are charged a registration fee that's almost double the vehicle registration fee. This is all for "road maintenance", which, in reality, is just roadwork in North Jersey. We usually don't get to see too much work on our roads down here... even though we contribute.
Thanks for all that info........Geeat!
This might be the best, most well thought out, comment I’ve ever read 🤝 (from a fellow NJ’er)
Cars only on the turnpike is NOT RECENT. It has been that way for at least 30 years, probably longer.
Also, if you’re an Uber driver, please stop making random U-turns in the middle of roadways. Thanks in advance.
@@rynovoski As per what I said in my post, the Cars Only portion is new between Exit.. I believe 8 and Exit 6. I literally lived *in* New Brunswick as a college student in 2012 and took the TP home to Cumberland County every weekend. I saw that stretch being constructed and the progress that was made every week. The video clearly shows him getting on the TP off I-195, which is Exit 7A. Not my preferred choice as I usually swap from I-295 to the TP at 7, near the Petro station.
Also, k-turns are legal in NJ, last I checked. In fact, if you have a license, you had to properly execute one in order to pass the road test. In addition, U-turns off left turn lanes are ALSO legal if there is a physical concrete median. Please know your traffic laws and stop flashing your lights because I won't turn on red when there's a "No Turn On Red" sign and no other cars on the road, because that's only gonna inspire me more to wait for green and slowly turn while staying in first gear.
Respect for pronouncing Newark like a local!
What impresses me about the NJTP is the fact that they didn't build it on the cheap. They designed a roadway that is probably about as advanced as you can possibly design a limited-access roadway with not only separate roads for cars/ trucks but also the separate on and off ramps feeding those separated roads. I don't believe I have seen any other road anywhere with that feature.
Interstate 75 blows it away all through the south bigger and way more efficient
Another thing that would greatly help relive stress from the turnpike is the northeast corridor, the fastest rail line in the US. For people going into the city, esp in central Jersey, taking the train is the best option since an express train takes only about 1.5 hours or less to get to Penn station in Manhattan. And during rush hour, these are double decker trains getting packed in every half hour, so those are a lot of people that aren’t contributing to traffic in New York or on the turnpike
It's waaaaay more than every half hour during rush hour. sometimes every 4 minutes if you live at a stop that has both Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines serving it.
I live in suburban Philadelphia. I would much rather drive to Trenton and take a NJ Transit train than drive to NYC.
@@jeffm9770yes! Coming from Delaware it’s a lot easier to take the Amtrak from Wilmington up to Connecticut when visiting family. It’s definitely different than the regional rails throughout but still a great option.
The double decker train cars were a revelation when they were introduced. SUCH an improvement.
@JustinWoo absolutely. Last time I took the train to New York, we got a double decker train coming back.
I've been traveling the NJTP my whole life en route to Massachusetts, upstate NY, and NYC/Long Island, Across decades I've stopped at every service plaza, and they all rock. It is a great road, and a bargain, not least compared to the nightmare tolls of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. NJTP, as you saw, is very well maintained, also unlike the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
People say you need to apply for a mortgage in order to travel on Pa pike ))
@@robant5578I pay about $35 per trip in tolls when I travel between home and school using I-76/476, it’s crazy
The turnpike is not a bad drive if it wasnt for the New Jersey drivers. Pure white knuckle drive. Also the amount of potholes destroyed my alignment.
I live in Pennsylvania, you’re right about our turnpike!
I lived in northern Delaware for 23 years, so I've traveled the NJTP many times. I've also driven through 47 US states. So I have a deep basis for comparison and can confirm that NJTP is indeed a shining example of good roadway design.
As a retired trucker who drove alot on the east coast the turnpike split is one the best designs. Having that separate split and 3 lanes weeds out alot of the poor drivers that create alot of the congestion. I've noticed in the last 10 years a deterioration of trucker etiquette. If a truck wanted to pass it was courtesy to slow down so they could pass easier. Now congestion especially on 2 lane highways is primarily caused by a truck hogging up the left lane.
47 Usa states,have you been to Puerto Rico,Hawaii,Alaska,California,Texas,DC,NYC,Florida,Ohio. Wow
@@victormena1501 Puerto Rico, no. I almost went there once but circumstances conspired against it. The three states I have not been to are Alaska, Hawaii, and North Dakota. I of course have vague plans to hit all three eventually.
Only slightly off-topic, I've also been to 25 countries on four different continents. Related to the topic of this video, I can say that the highways in Belgium and South Africa are both also very good. Other countries have good roadway systems, but those two stand out in my mind as being particularly good.
"Good roadway design" is an oxymoron lol
@@amazingworldadventures325 have you been to Mexico? It has 32 states
New Jerseyan here, we love our driving. We know maps by roads instead of cities or destinations. We ask what exit people are from, instead of what town, because that means more to us. We drive the pace of traffic and ignore speed limit signs.
Its a beautiful state north south west and east all different too.
Exit 4 here!😉
How many states in the US can you go from the beach to the mountains to the city (NY or Philly or AC all with internatioanl airports) to farmland to forests.....all within 2 hours? Not many. It was a great state to grow up in with plenty of close by things to do, no matter what your interests are.
Exit 7 here!
Exit 9!
exit 9!!
Turnpike Hack: 295 parallels for quite a while in south Jersey. Traffic isn't bad on 295 in south jersey. To minimize tolls and maximize efficiency, you can get off 295 N and switch to 95 N at Rt 206 in Bordentown and continue up to North Jersey. It's the closest and most convenient point to transfer. Same for heading south.
73 is also a short hop between 295 and NJTP. Depends on time of day if you need to avoid the Rt 42 interchange to go "starlight through" on 295.
Aren't they doing construction where 295 meets 76 and 676 though? That's been clogging up traffic.
@@KoJesko That's true. I'm local to there and dont usually travel south of that interchange. I believe the decades-long work to add more to the interchange is completed this week, of all times. Hopefully that will ease congestion for 295 as a whole. Youre right, 95 would be smoother anyway.
Using 295 you r only saving maybe $3 )) because till at south part for Turn pike is very cheap. The highest toll you pay on Turnpie is from exit 10 to GW Bridge.. ..
I love hopping over using that very exit. The bonus is that the Petro truck stop is there and I usually stop there for a bathroom break and a quick snack. It's essentially a mental "halfway point" for most road trips!
The thing I always loved about the NJ Tpk was that it carried all the trucks, keeping them off of the Garden State Parkway. Having had truck-flung rocks smash my windshield so many times through the years, I avoid them like the plague.
Trucks up to a certain weight are allowed on GSPW.
This is what I-95 in Virginia needs between Richmond and Washington D.C!
Yeah, you’re not kidding. Forget pesky express lanes! This is clearly the best way to go!
Also, credit to Mileage Mike for mentioning this in his other video where he covered this very topic, I-95 between Richmond and Washington D.C.
Perfect place for this design.
Agree: separate Truck way AND remove all those VA hills that accordions traffic. I don’t understand why the USA has more earth moving equipment and more explosives than any country on planet earth and we can’t flatten hills and even some mountains. NJ doesn’t have those hills to mess with merging traffic.
No, this is what they need --
I-95 in Fairfax County south of the Beltway has reached "full build out", IMHO, with its 4nb-3r-4sb configuration. Currently in Prince William County and southward it goes from 4nb-3r-4sb to 3nb-3r-3sb to 3nb-2r-3sb.
The need is for the designation of Future I-97 and building thereof along the US-301 corridor southward from US-50 to I-95/VA-207.
That is how capacity should be increased on the I-95 corridor to parallel and bypass I-95 and I-495 and the Washington area.
Fairfax County and Prince William County and the Capital Beltway need to bypassed with this highway I-97.
Regularly drove the NJTP many years ago. It looked like no other road in the US. Had a tour of their HQ and Control Center in 1978. It was amazing. They measured speed and volume. That alerted them to potential problems and Emergency Services were dispatched. Many of the overhead signs were changeable and set to rotate so a car passing one sign while changing would find the next doing the same. They could change
the type of traffic on the inner & outrer roadways to balance traffic during disruptions. The NJ Turnpike has always been the leader in traffic engineering!
Im a 67 year old lifelong New Yorker who lives on the New Jersey boarder. This commentator is spot on. You never mind paying tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike or the Garden State Parkway because they’re so well maintained, you couldn’t find a pothole if you tried. The New York State Thruway, which is also a toll road is a joke compared to these New Jersey highways. New Jersey does a much better job than New York in maintaining, reinvesting and always improving their highways.
Nix the HOV lanes. They're worthless. I don't know why anyone in the region still has them
As a resident of Long Island who frequently travels off of it, while I hate the tolls, most NJ roads are a pleasure compared to NYS. The turnpike has gotten expensive though over the last 10 years, and while the rest stops have either been rebuilt or are in the process of being rebuilt, HMS Host, which operates them charge for food like it is an airport, sometimes more. The rest stops are airport grade though.
Airport grade? Come on, NJTP stops aren’t that bad! 😄😄
@@wesleymouch7498That was a compliment. I’ve been in some nice airports!
Applegreen took over the contract from HMS Host but it's still stupid expensive
The NJ Tpke is a breeze compared to the Belt Pky, Southern State, LIE, Northern State, GCP, etc.
@@islesfan24the LIE is one of the worst roads I have ever had to deal with. My dad told me he used to drive down to ocean parkway to get to work rather than take the LIE (he lived north of it so it was clearly a detour). That being said northern state and southern state aren’t that awful as long as they get you where you need to go.
As a trucker who drives the turnpike almost daily, its is my fav road to be on. Traffic does move for most of the time and the rest stops are top notch compared to most
I've driven box trucks for work between PA and New England. The ONLY pleasant part of that journey was always the NJ Turnpike. As a car driver I love that trucks are separated. Driving a truck I love that the cars are separated. It had the added benefit of also not trying to shake out my fillings.
I have been driving for 45+ years and at the very start was driving box trucks up and down the NJTP, it has come a LONG way in those 45 years. I have travelled it extensively in many different jobs and family scenarios and find exactly as you said, they've planned it well. In 1985 when I first started a long commute from South Jersey to Exit 9 of the turnpike it was not the best route to take as the car/truck split was just south of my work exit. Over the years they have moved that split much further south and now it is much more manageable. As you stated, when the car/truck lanes combine south bound there is I-295 to take up some of that traffic. Also the lane sizes and striping have made it a much more comfortable drive any time of day or night. Just take exit 11 and go north on the Garden State Parkway and that will make you appreciate the lane sizes and marking of the NJTP! Over the years I have been to 46 of the 50 states in the US and I have never found a roadway that works as well as the NJTP. Of course there are always anomalies that can cause traffic headaches on the Turnpike, but those can be anywhere. We travel down south from South Jersey (to GA, NC & SC where our grandkids are) and the frustration of a 2 lane I-95 can be extreme as you stated in your video. I found your video to be very well done and you explain things very well. Looking forward to viewing more of your videos, and I'm now a subscriber! Thanks.
Yes, the infamous merger by Exit 8A. I always said it should be at the PA Turnpike Exit, and now it is.
I live in LA and you nailed it on the left lane hog point you made. We have 12 lane freeways here and slow drivers always keep left. They prefer a wide open lane to themselves while either matching speed or driving at a slower speed than drivers on the right. They create bottlenecks that would be eliminated if they simply kept the same speed they were already driving and merging right and continuing to follow the flow of traffic. I consistantly see 6 lanes of cars driving side by side at exactly the same speed blocking all traffic from getting around. Adding insult to injury, these same drivers keep in the left lane until the absolute last second. They will come to a complete stop on a flowing freeway, waiting for somebody to let them merge 5 lanes over so they can make their exit at the last second. This creates a ripple effect miles down the freeway as drivers have to stop to let them in to make their exits.
I used to be a huge proponent of adding more lanes to freeways but judging by the way people drive it would make things even worse.
Look up induced demand
Agreed!
@@paulrapisYes. But induced demand comes from poor traffic management on surface streets. If they were better magaged people would stay off the freeways. We need highways, but i like the toll concept. Pay for rapid transit. Add freeways, but improve surface roads first. Signal light timing, flyovers, tunnels, dedicated turn lanes all kerp traffic moving on surface roads.
We need more freeways, but fewer access points. No more exits every 1/4 mile.
@@henrystowe6217If you live in the US you do NOT need more high capacity road infrastructure. You need viable alternatives to driving.
One thing I've alway's liked about the Turnpike vs the Garden State Parkway is the Turnpike collects tolls when you exit it. There are no intermediate toll stations (unlike the Garden State). Those intermediate toll collection stations (even the automated ones) always screw up traffic flow.
I agree with your analysis of the NJ Turnpike. My wife and I were there at the end of last month and, despite the huge amount of traffic, our experience while on it was one of the easiest parts of our trip to Maine. The restrooms at the Wilson Service Center rival Buc-ee's for cleanliness and availability.
In the event of a breakdown or accident that stops traffic it is such a bummer to be stuck sitting there watching the traffic on the other roadway sail along but conversely it is such a joy if you're in the roadway that is clear.
Using that section of I-81 to exemplify how traffic flow can suffer when mixing big rigs and passenger vehicles was a perfect example. I drive it every day and it's always a challenge. I've driven the NJ TPK dozens of times and always loved the dedicated lanes it provides. But you really have to be paying attention when you get to that split for the GW Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel!
Yeah it’s funny to see that. I’m from Jersey and I travel on I-81 a lot more often than the NJTP.
@@ecoRfanI live in nj but go to school in WNY and most of the drive to/from school is on I-81 and it is SO annoying compared to the NJTP
@@kirstynloftus826 I’ve done central NJ to Pittsburgh via 78-81-PATP a number of times. The funnest (worst?) part though is the seemingly endless ride down 81 through Virginia. Done some trips to the Roanoke area and that drive is quite truck-heavy and only 2 lanes per direction.
I was about to comment that someone should petition for I-81 to copy the turnpike model.
4:20 That rest area was recently renovated. There are a number of other new ones and some currently being demolished and rebuilt.
As a pilot I’ve used the NJTP regularly since 2007 to commute from Delaware to Newark Liberty. About 4 years ago I had 2 trips that would allow me to drive to Dulles and save myself 2 days out of a 5 day trip. In paper both EWR and IAD are practically equidistant from home. In reality the drive west through Maryland and DC is inconsistent and stressful. I never realized how much better the drive is on the NJTP until that time. The only downside is that the NJTP is tolled.
Thank you for your video.
A long stretch of the turnpike north of I-195 had a huge overhaul about 10-15 years ago. It took years to complete as a construction mess but it seems to have worked out pretty well.
Now that 295/76/42 mess over in Camden county is a totally different story.
They expanded it to 6 lanes each side due to traffic.
Very cool to see my home state featured, especially a roadway that I use every day.
Minor point of order - the Pulaski Skyway is not part of the NJ Turnpike - it's part of Route 9, that leads into the Holland Tunnel. It doesn't run along the eastern section of the Turnpike, but rather the Route 14 Extension (you call it the Newark Bay Spur, but I've never heard it referred to that way) that goes into the Holland Tunnel.
But hard agree that the GWB section of the NJT is a nightmare. Also our rest stops got a pretty significant makeover over the last ten years or so. They used to be a bit dumpier, and looked more like something out of 1970 than 2023. But they're much nicer now.
US-1 & 9 Car route.
Driven through the NJ Turnpike a few times and one thing I have to say is that, I never encountered traffic even during rush hours.
came to say that
There are a few spots you’ll find rush-hour traffic on the turnpike; mainly around the Exit 15 area.
South Jersey there’s traffic on the turnpike. From the 95 split in Delaware to the Cherry Hill/Mt Laurel exit there’s traffic
Backs up all the time by Exit 8/7… in the summer southbound 7 all the way to 1 is often jammed
You can in the truck/car lanes but it's mostly due to trucks getting off at the same location
NJ civil engineer here who has actually designed parts of the NJ Turnpike (Int 18X & the mainline around Int 6 incl. the new merge/diverge)
Couple of things -
1) the NJ Tpk is 4 lanes from the start to Int 4, then 6 lanes to the new split south of Int 6, then 3-3-3-3 until Int 11. From Int 11 to the southern mixing bowl it's 4-3-3-4, with the 4th lane dropping through Int 13. North of the mixing bowl it gets complicated.
2) Technically I-95 is on the Eastern spur and NJDOT designates I-95W for the western spur. AASHTO doesn't recognize a I-95W
3) the NJ Turnpike uses 12ft shoulders
4) the NJDOT built I-95 north of US-46 to the GWB. It later sold the roadway to the Turnpike Authority who now maintains it
5) the turnpike authority sends $1.25B annually to NJ Transit. It'll also send $$ to help fund the Gateway Project
My question is why the didn't lose a lane from car and truck lanes at exit 6 and then have just have 4 lanes to merge to 3? Why do they add a bunch of exit lanes and then still need to shrink from 6 to 3?
@@njdevilku1340 - because the long term plan is that the dual roadways will extend further south. The inner roadway is the original turnpike, the outer lanes are new construction. There was an argument to drop the outer roadways to 2 lanes each south of one of the interchanges (I can't remember which) similar to the old dual roadway system where the turnpike went to a 2-3-3-2 config between Int 8A & Int 9. In a $2.5B project it wasn't a significant cost savings to drop the lane.
@@fighter-of-foo I think adding anything more than 3 lanes south of the PA extension is so far off. Once they build a second bridge (and renovate the first bridge) for the PA turnpike crossing of the Delaware, more people (and trucks) will follow I-95 across the Delaware and through Philly. I don't think they will need more lanes south of there for a long time.
@@njdevilku1340 yep, it's the ultimate build out, and will likely never be built. It's one of the reasons why they decided not to extend the dual roadways past Columbus-Florence Road (CR-543) at the southern end, which was the last bridge structure in the project.
Fun fact - Mansfield Road West crosses the NJTPK in the north part of Int 6 and spans 20 vehicular lanes
Good documentary on the NJTP. It just needs to be pointed out that the 3x3x3x3 configuration down to the PATP cutoff in Florence was done within the past two decades; it was still 3x3 until about 1 interchange north of that point. Also, the NJTPA used to have some of the most dated rest stops on the East coast until the last 3-5 years, when the state finally invested into renovating all of them - catapulting them into some of the best in the country (once they're all done - there are still few rest stops in S. Jersey that, at the time of writing, are still under rehabilitation.)
I'll disagree on two points: the Western spur north of Exit 15 near Newark/Jersey City, is still rather bumpy and the road deck there needs work. Also, if you're looking for diverse gas options, forget it: Sunoco has the NJTP on lock (much like it does with some of the other major tollways east of the Mississippi, e.g. The NYS Thruway and the OH Turnpike.)
Gas prices on the NJTP are mandated to some formula involving the average price of gas in NJ and are locked in for the week.
If I recall, the 3x3x3x3 section of the NJT was a “shovel-ready” project funded by federal stimulus money during the Great Recession. Those extra, separate lanes seemed to materialize overnight and were a godsend for the previously traffic-choked sections of the NJT from Exit 7 north to NYC. I doubt anyone would have lauded the NJT prior to this investment, but the praise is certainly well-deserved now!
@@robertsteindl5486 I remember driving the NJTP in the 90s. I recall that the drive south of New Brunswick was not as smooth. Strangely, I also recall the bottleneck around the GWB not being as bad as it is now.
@@cisium1184 Sad but true! I suppose no amount of construction on the NJT will ever alleviate the permanent bottleneck caused by the GWB. ☹️
Yep, the 3x3x3x3 roadway previously ended just south of exit 8A. The main reason it was extended to just south of exit 6 was because exit 6 was going to become the point where I-95 joined the turnpike, by virtue of PA building an interchange between I-95 and the PA Turnpike. That's all done now.
Just a heads up but there are more than 18 exits as you travel the main path. There were 18 originally, but when others were added they were given an additional letter instead of renumbering the whole thing. There should be 20-21 exits depending on whether you go east or west at the top.
There are actually 29 exits in total.
One important feature is that the exits on the Turnpike are primarily made from the right-hand lane. This isn't the case in a lot of other States. People slowing down in the left lane to exit can really screw up traffic. Knowing that the exit will be on the right-hand side of the roadway keeps exiting traffic out of the way of through traffic as the exiting drivers can properly anticipate which side of the road they need to get over to. The Exits are also simply numbered so if you are passing Exit 10 you know you have to get to the right for Exit 11. When roadways use names instead of numbers and the exit might be from either side of the road, unfamiliar drivers end up doing all kinds of crazy maneuvers trying to make an exit at the last minute.
when you look at the exit sign, (the one before the actual exit) the side of the number on the top of the sign is the side the exit is on. I wish more people knew this.
*cough cough* Schuykill
Congratulations you’ve given the turnpike credit for matching interstates, which universally have numbered exits and the overwhelming majority of which have right side on/off ramps. And on the rare occasion I’ve seen left side exits, they’re clearly marked miles in advance. You’ve never left the tri state area, clearly.
Yes, while the Garden State Parkway has several left exits.
I'm a trucker, ran it yesterday and this morning. I do like the separation of the bigger vehicles, less crazy 4 wheelers to worry about.
2:40 Very pretty, first time of been on this style of suspension bridge too.
I like this channel is nuanced where you counter the urbanists ‘cars bad so more lanes induce demand so they’re always bad’ and show instances where more lanes are good and other areas where it’s better to have fewer lanes
Except that better Transit access would make the Turnpike unnecessary and speed up travel times. When you have density, you want Trains, not more lanes
@@coastaku1954i hear you, I would prefer more dense walkable spaces and mass transit too as I’m in dfw sprawl, we just got Texrail in the last 5 years in Ft worth which is 1st class Swiss stadler trains with low ridership because it’s mostly park and ride, Grapevine has built up some midrises around their station but most everyone there still has cars and see the train as more a novelty than every day commuting option and unfortunately really there’s only so much you can do when there’s so much sprawl already built up
@@user-Jamie218 Unless we want to look like hypocrites, we can't just demolish neighborhoods for new right-of-ways like the planners of the mid-20th century
Indeed. The transportation needs can vary from place to place.
@@coastaku1954It’s too late to talk dense development for a lot of metropolitan areas. They are already sprawled. So you have to build transportation accordingly to what each metropolitan area needs.
Excellent video on the NJ turnpike! Please do a video on the Boston area - some suggestions include:
1. The Big Dig (central artery tunnel and Ted Williams tunnel)
2. The horribly designed I-93 Southeast expressway from the central artery to the Braintree split
3. The inefficient clover leaf interchange between I-93 and I-95 in Woburn
4. Route 128 in its entirety
5. The design of the Mass Pike
It's harrowing trying to navigate Boston. Right when you need it most, the GPS loses its signal.
Been on the turnpike a few times in my life, but most recently this past month. Everything you said is accurate, including the sadness at the end when you reach the GW. I should also mention another thing about the turnpike that you don't mention, which is that unlike many highways in the northeast, the NJTP barely has any curves, and the few curves it does have don't require any speed reduction. I think that plays a huge role in the flow of traffic. The only place there are considerable turns is right around when it's abeam Manhattan, but even then it's manageable.
Yes, because of the smoothness and lack of curves, the Turnpike is one of the only highways where it truly is consistently safe to do 100 MPH if you were alone.
I love that the clip about the mix of cars and heavy trucks leading to poor traffic flow showed I-81 in VA, which is about the only interstate I've been on that delivers white-knuckle driving in any weather 365 days a year. While I'm not a big fan of the southern 4-lane portion of the NJT, even that stretch isn't so bad after spending 3 hours on I-95 from Richmond to DC and another 2 hours in Maryland where the left lane is the slow lane, and the right one's for maniacs. Passing Exit 5 feels good. Whatever the signs say, the speed limit seems to be 80 - 85 as long as you aren't being a knucklehead, tailgaters are few and far between, and you can set the cruise and relax a little until you're approaching Newark. Traffic gets heavy but keeps moving ok until you hit the backups caused by the crossings into NYC. I'm usually headed into Brooklyn via the Outer Bridge crossing and Staten Island, which generally isn't quite as bad as the tunnels or the GWB. 100% agreed, the Turnpike is the best road for making time A to B that I've driven.
Having driven (or being in cars driven) on the NJTP more times that I can remember, I agree that the road is one of the best, especially when compared to surrounding states (the PA Turnpike isn't great).
The only thing I'd add is that if your destination is beyond NYC (e.g., Connecticut), switch to the Garden State Parkway to the NYS Thurway at some point... no matter what your GPS tells you.
Usually when I go to Connecticut I take the Henry Hudson/Merit Parkway. You go over the GWB and get off the first exit. Usually saves a lot of time.
NJ Turnpike is truly an engineering marvel. Its design is ahead of its time and provides an example of how a controlled access highway should be built. Never appreciated it as much growing up in NYC/North Jersey but once I moved away I am amazed at is awesomeness!!! 🛣️
The Turnpike is probably the best engineered highway in the US. Unfortunately, the Turnpike is the Rodney Dangerfield of highways, it gets no respect. The Turnpike goes past some pretty ugly places, especially in North Jersey. Swamps, garbage dumps, chemical plants, etc. The highway was routed through those areas to hold down construction costs. That's all most people travelling the Turnpike see of Jersey do they think the entire state looks like that.
The Garden State Parkway that runs parallel the coast is fantastic! Would love to see an episode dedicated to this road and the different beach/offshore communities there are along it.
Until you get up to exit 131, then it turns into pure chaos 😅
And that section that split a graveyard in half & paved over the dead.
@@TheMrPeteChanneldon't forget to hold your breath when you drive through!😅
Riding on the NJTP was one of my fondest memories road tripping as a kid during vacations. The retro sign designs (before they took it down and replace it during the last decade), the wide lanes and the lane markings, and especially the service areas with the food and fuel. Probably the most frequent one i went to was the Walt Whitman SP on the SB side. The turnpike is definitely a great example of how a highway should be.
The NJTP is by far one of the best road designs I've ever traveled
For sure!
Thank you for your take on the NJTP.
I lived in Jersey 52 years off Exit 12 and 5 years off of Exit 10. Been up and down it too many times to count always smooth sailing.
Now in Florida the last 8 years, dealing with, I 95, I-75 and I-4, though no comp to the NJTP.
I agree with you about it being a well-designed road, everything from the jersey barriers to drive right pass left.
I travel the entire length of the NJ turnpike regularly. What an amazing video! But a few things you got wrong about the roadway. One third of the turnpike (the southern portion) is a crappy 4-lane divided highway that hasn't been updated since it was built. That's right -- all that traffic from 6 lanes goes down to 3 (at the PA Turnpike exit), and then down to 2(!) at Exit 4. For nearly 40 miles. It is often backed-up and becomes a traffic jam, especially at the two merge points (6 > 3 and then 3 > 2). It is extremely frustrating the southern portion of the turnpike hasn't seen any attention in nearly 60+ years.
When heading north, Waze or an equivalent GPS or map app will tell you which spur to take as you head to GWB. Sometimes the eastern spur is faster, and other times the western spur is faster. Same with what level to take on GWB itself (upper or lower level). Even if you know your route, the real-time traffic data these apps provide is invaluable to get you through these traffic tie-ups as quickly as possible. (For the past few years, the GWB has just been a virtual parking lot no matter the time of day or day of the week -- it is way beyond its useful capacity and the roadways around it regularly get clogged up with traffic.) Good luck!
1:10 The best thing that happened to the NJTP was extending the 3+3 lanes further south to the PA Turnpike extension. (Also Pennsylvania recently built a direct connection from the PA extension to I-95) thus the I-95 path/naming scheme. Labor Day weekend, etc. used to get 5-mile backups on the southbound lanes where the northern 3+3 section narrows down to a single 3 lane section. Otherwise it's usually an excellent highway to drive on.
Oh good. That re-merge going south, especially on the Sunday after Thanksgiving when it seemed as if all the world were traveling on that road at that time, was horrible. Glad things have improved.
The Exit 8 Merge was the biggest bottleneck even the 405 was wowed by its gridlocking capabilities
I came here to say that. I remember that bottleneck well. Up until about 2007 or so, if memory serves. Now that they've extended the 3x3x3x3 to the PA extension (and Pennsylvania improved that road's connectivity on its side), everything is fine - the Turnpike main line still loses a bunch of lanes at that junction, but it loses plenty of traffic at the same time
@@funksoulmonkeyyep. A lot of cars drift off at that exit to follow 95 into PA heading towards Philly so the lane reduction doesn’t matter as much. That has worked wonders.
They are planning on moving the 3+3 even further south, but I forget how far.
They are also taking a look at connecting the NJTP to NJ42, but that will be an environmental ordeal.
The separation of trucks and cars is effective - always smooth sailing
In terms of the exits to get you to NYC, you could have added Exit 13 for I-278 and the Goethels Bridge. This route takes you across Staten island and then the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn. Whenever I have used it, the traffic on I-278 has been congested (stated politely).
Agreed! Despite congestion, Exit 13 Goethals Bridge I-278 to Verrazano Bridge is the best route into NYC. Except for Manhattan, I-278 travels through each NYC Borough.
@@ardegagayle3389 278 does take a backward loop via the Triboro into the Bronx only to eventually merge with I-95 and the NE Thruway.
@@ardegagayle3389 why not take exit 10 via 440 to Staten Island ? I always take that
My sister lives in Brooklyn...it seems to me, despite the traffic, it's the best way to get to Brooklyn from Philly or even Wilmington or "points south", i.e. Washington, DC
I live in central NJ and sometimes need to drive 50 miles to JFK to pickup/drop off friends and relatives. If there is no traffic, the trip takes 1 hour. But I have to budget 5 hours, because NY roads are medieval.
im from jersey and when i was a kid, the turnpike was most hated. and also the most boring part of trips from down south to the garden state parkway. its great to see how much its improved. great video.
The only bad thing about the NJ turnpike are the horrendous toll plazas at exits 13, 14 and 15. So awful to get into the correct lane for where you’re going.
One correction from the video: NJ turnpike currently still allows cash payments; you get a ticket when you enter the turnpike and submit the ticket when you exit, paying cash for the distance you traveled. NJTPA has announced plans to migrate to all-electronic open-road tolling which will hopefully eliminate the horrible toll plazas.
I use the turnpike regularly to go exactly 1 exit; from Goethals Bridge (exit 13) to I-78 (exit 14) and back. The toll is about $2 and saves about 15 minutes compared to using US-1/9. Worth it.
1/9 is a disaster
I love having 30 yards to get over 12 lanes to get to 18 north....
@@nickmurphy4209 It's worse coming the other way for 18 South, you have to get over 12 lanes as you are coming around a curve.
Yes this is the Newark to Brooklyn route I take via the Verrazano
Yeah even after 30 years of driving in NJ I accidentally swung into wrong curved entry lane and ended up going back south instead of north) no need to mention that you need to go 10-15 miles to make ur u turn ))
Great video! It’s good to have a traffic RUclipsr who doesn’t hate cars and America!
Absolutely! 🇺🇸
My experience on the NJT was the opposite of yours in use, but similar in appreciation. Occasionally there are bottlenecks at the southbound merge where the truck split ends but typically the traffic flow is great in the southern sections.
I use 287 to avoid the north sections around Newark and NYC access, but use the southern section to get to the DMB. The rest areas are well timed for my travels in that section rather than hunting for services off 295. Nice to see the appreciation for the NJT.... did you also try the extra lane nightmare known as the Garden State Parkway?
Well if you are a trucker (or anyone trying to avoid NYC or the GWB), most people would leave the Turnpike, and take 287 to the Cuomo Bridge to bypass that mess on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Which is one of the worst roads in the USA. If I'm traveling up to New England (by car), I'd take the Pike to Exit 11, and take the Parkway to the northern terminus (NJ/NY) and take 287 north/east (the NY Thruway) thru Westchester to pick up I-95 or .
The Parkway is longer than the Pike, but you don't have to worry about trucks until Exit 105 when trucks are allowed southbound all the way to the terminus in Cape May. Also the lanes are narrower on the Parkway, due to the fact that there aren't any trucks.
I remember when the NJTpk was first opened (I was 8 years old in 1951)...we were AGOG! Only about two hours to NYC from Philly (where we lived). It was INCREDIBLE!
Hm I always take us 1 to Trenton then 95 to phily , and it takes me 2 hours, or less. .
Young whippersnappers!!! Anyway why would ANYBODY want to go to Trenton. "Trenton makes, the world takes". Really? Since when?@@robant5578
It's amazing how different the roads are in nearby Pennsylvania. Most of the interstates are designed horribly, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike can be awful at times. The drivers are overall a lot better in New Jersey too.
Do the still have the "New Jersey is the safest state" inspection stickers? For as crazy as Northern NJ drivers are I learned to appreciate that when I moved away 😂😂
PennDOT still lives in the 1960s.
Living in South Jersey, I can confirm this. NJ has the better drivers. Whenever there is a vehicle with Pennsylvania plates in front of me, I brace myself for some crazy or stupid maneuver. More often than not it will happen.
But when Jersey drivers get into Pa, they strive to put Jersey drivers ahead of New Yawk drivers as the “worst Drivers” on the east coast. Traffic laws don’t apply to them. Problem in NJ is local people know where they’re going, as the signs are put up too late for out of state drivers. Or they hide the signs behind trees!
@@bludiablo No, NJ has just about totally done away with inspections. Whereas in the past, if your headlights might interfere with another driver, you were failed, now if you can pass the emission test, you are good to go, even if your brakelights don't work. Tis a shame.
I live in north Delaware and travel to Long Island and back frequently for the past 40 yrs. The NJT is indeed a good road to travel on and the rest stops have all been upgraded in recent years. My mood changes when I hit Staten Island,and and then the Belt Parkway!
NJ may have terrible drivers but the Turnpike is great. I'm from Long Island and drove to Philly each of the last 2 years. Having 3 lanes of consistently moving traffic that are separated from the 3 lanes 18 wheelers have to drive in is such a pleasure.
The problem is the PA and New Yorkers hogging the Left lane at 60mph.
@@ffrick73 PA and CT drivers, yes. Real New Yorkers don't drive 60 in the left lane. 55 means 70 here on Long Island. Anything less than 75-80 in the left lane(s) on the Turnpike is slow.
@@Sasfoot maybe they arent LI-ers but 35 years driving just outside NYC my experience with NY drivers hasnt been good
I've been on the NJTP once in 2017, and I can definietly confirm that's the congestion is lower thanks to it's inner and outer lanes. I believed I came on from I 287 down to Six Flags in Jackson, NJ.
At last, something nice to say about New Jersey.
Being from Nj, one common theme is that people tell you where they live by what exit of the NJTP you are from. I'm from Exit 1. A local brewery even made different beers named for the exits. Having a GF from NYC also means I have traveled the entire length many times in both directions. I agree, I have yet to drive on a better highway anywhere in the US, and I have driven on highways in Maine, Florida, Mighigan, Ohio, NY, Nevada, NC, DE, MD, PA, and others I am forgetting.
I think highway planners in densely-populated developing countries should visit and study the NJTP to see how highways are done efficiently. I think the State of New Jersey should offer that as an international service.
People do come from all over the world to study engineering, road engineering, and transit in general in the NYC metro area!
Great video! Very thorough and well-researched for a non-New Jerseyan! Being my home state I thank you! The Turnpike is frequently overlooked or taken for granted… but it is a vital artery and in the last 10 years or so has impressively improved despite more people being on the road than ever before. One thing I wanted to mention (since so many others are chiming in) is that part of the reason left lane hogging isn’t typically as much of an issue on the Turnpike (or in NJ as a whole) is that in NJ, by law, the left lane is the passing lane and failing to pass in the left lane or using it for travel when there are no vehicles to pass is a ticket-able offense and YES, state troopers *will* enforce it as I have seen them do it over the years. Apparently it is a $100-$300 fine, 2 points on driver record, plus an additional $50 surcharge that goes to fund to maintain road signs and educate the public about the dangers from failing to keep right. We take driving efficiently very seriously in NJ haha. Additionally, NJ DOT’s winter plowing operations are top-notch and truly a sight to behold. Having grown up in Central NJ and gone to school/lived in NYC for a decade now, I’ve spent plenty of hours on the Turnpike (when not on the excellent NJ Transit commuter rail) and I have to say it does a damn good job and people may scoff but it is something I’m proud of. NJ is a very underrated, misconstrued, and misunderstood state. I actually think it’s one of the best examples of states that use taxpayer/inhabitant money effectively and responsibly… and they better because NJ taxes are no joke. But again, we do have great public schools which for the most part are on par with or surpass private schools! I digress.
I don’t know about the schools I don’t see any geniuses coming out of New Jersey
7:30 Something to note about left-lane hogging being less prominent on the Turnpike is that NJ Troopers are the only police I've ever seen enforce a "slower traffic keep right" law and ticket a lane hog. I'm pretty sure that's a much bigger contributor to the infrequency of it than a three lane layout. When rules are enforced, they tend to be followed a bit more.
Oh yeah, and there's a ton of extra state troopers keeping an eye on traffic for both the Turnpike and the Parkway. Unless you're driving recklessly, the cops here aren't focused on people going over the speed limit; they're focused on people going much faster or slower than the general flow of traffic. Even if it's for a few miles, if you're going slow in the left lane, they'll pull you over
@@iliketrains0pwned Turnpike is a major pipeline for drugs going to Philly, NYC, and points North. For some reason people who have a vehicle loaded with dope think they will be less conspicuous by driving under the speed limit. The police know this.
@@iliketrains0pwned good choice of princess for ur pfp btw
Nicely done video. Of all the things in New Jersey that I thought a visitor might be impressed by, I never considered the turnpike LOL
NJTP is on par with the great freeway system of Phoenix Arizona. Obviously, comparing the two are like comparing apples and oranges. I've never been on the NJTP, but I have been on the Phoenix freeway system. Your video provides the same driving pleasure the Phoenix freeway system provides this West Coast Road Geek.
Since the bulk of Phoenix' freeways were built after 1990, Maricopa County was able to avoid the "mistakes "of other municipality/state/federal urban freeway design.
The NJTP is on my freeway "bucket list." I hope the NJTP gets widened south beyond the I-95 split, and somehow offers transition ramps to the parallel I-295. I don't see that happening, since the NJTP might lose potential revenue to the parallel I-295.
Keep on keeping on with the videos, Mike. Your videos Rock! Thanks for sharing.
Toronto's 401 would be another to add to your bucket list. At 18 lanes it's quite impressive.
As someone who lives in Jersey and is very familiar with the TurnPike, you just made me think about a lot of stuff that I never thought of throughout my entire life with. the NJTP. For one, it definitely does discourage short-distance trips since there are only 18 total exits (and take it from me, they are very FAR APART!). 2, the roads are definitely always smooth. 3, in my entire life, I can't ever recall ever sitting in any type of traffic while on the TurnPike. 4, splitting car and trucks apart from each other also greatly contribute to the lack of traffic and the continuous flow
As a trucker, my favorite roads to drive on when it comes to high traffic are roads like the NJ Turnpike, Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway and the 401 in Toronto.
Clearly someone else is paying the tolls. Full fare exits 1-18 for an 18-wheeler is $82.05.
Oh no. The Ryan and 401 are nightmares compared to the NJ Turnpike. I would pay toll any day to save time and frustration.
I can confirm that the 401 in Toronto is the biggest....nightmare anywhere. We call it the 4-0- f$&@#g-one.
As a normal commuter 401 is absolutely horrendous during rush hour.
I think the 401 in Toronto have too many access for its express lanes. They become congested at the same points as the collectors when they really should be made for those having no business in Toronto. The 407 bypass have insane tolls.
When approaching the split in 1976,a grey Cadillac with ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS stenciled on the driver's door was parked on the safety zone with the occupants having left the car and looking up at the sign.I had noticed the car about 60-70 miles earlier in the South.Those Texans got the Jersey screw.
They have done many improvements in the last 10-15 years on the NJ Turnpike. From expanding to 6 lanes between exits 6-9 and also now they are expanding the exit and on ramps to multiple lanes. It was a nightmare getting off exit 9 when I worked in northern Jersey. Traffic is still there but moving quicker in the morning hours now from what I’ve seen lately. Too bad PennDot in PA is the exact opposite.
I migrated to US in 1999, and first used Penna turnpike in 2000. It was undergoing repairs and maintenance. They haven’t finished yet. I will probably live till 2050. Hoping to see that work completed before I shuffle off.
@@wesleymouch7498 The Pennsylvania Turnpike is the oldest long-distance highway in the U.S., and has been undergoing total reconstruction and six-lane widening on the oldest segments, which are from MM 57-MM 226, between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. By comparison, the original road bed is still in decent condition from MM 226-MM 320, between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, though total reconstruction and six-lane widening will soon come to the segment from MM 298-MM 320.
It took the state of Georgia 30 years to reconstruct and widen I-75 to six lanes through the entire state, and that's with federal assistance. The Pennsylvania Turnpike is five miles longer than I-75 in Georgia, so it's going to take the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission at least as long to do the same, especially given the lack of federal assistance.
@@dr4782 so, 2050 then? Or do I have to spend money on longevity meds?
@@wesleymouch7498 The six-lane widening began in 2005, so probably between 2035 and 2040.
As a NJ Uber driver I frequent the GSP daily and after traveling to other states I no longer take it for granted! It's a beautifully well-thought out logistics solutions. Kudos to bringing light to it!
As a New Yorker who has lived up and down the East Coast, the TURNPIKE is crucial to travel!
You got that right
10:17 when you talk about a city government diverting funds collected to fund transit, I don't completely agree that all revenue collected should only go towards the road maintenance. If a government created a parallel public transport option for travelers along the corridor, and part of the toll revenue went to subsidize that parallel option, the toll road could be three lanes in either direction for the entire corridor and the price of the toll could be adjusted to have free flowing traffic at all times taking up less land and giving an option for those priced off the toll road. Of course enough of the toll revenue would have to keep the quality of the road high enough for those willing to pay the higher price of driving the corridor.
For as much as I pick on New Jersey, I will say that the freeway system in that state is very decent to drive on. That's one thing the Garden State definitely got right.
Other than crazy Property taxes or high cost of living, what else is there to dislike about NJ ? Great Food, beaches, casinos, mountains, not extreme weather, multi cultural and diverse, good school system, proximity to NY , Philly and DC (on either side) and others.
I live in PA and have driven through Jersey for various regions and been on the turnpike. Maybe a dozen times. Never really thought about it being a particularly special Turnpike, but always noticed it was a very fine drive.
But the rest stops on the NJ Turnpike are super!! Essentially giant Buc--ee's. But if you try to pump your own gas in Jersey? I think the penalty is death and goes up from there.
at 6:48 "NJ is free to enter but you must pay to leave" is a sentiment held by everyone living here
The biggest problem is when they decided to rip out all of the mature trees along the turnpike through Mercer and Burlington counties, making for constant crosswinds that used to be deflected. It’s less safe without the trees.
It is sad yes, but part of that was for widening the Turnpike and the all the work they did on it, no? Additionally older trees can be a hazard for roadways particularly in the winter.
@@word42069 Some of it was, but they also ripped trees out after the construction footprint was set which was what surprised me.
They never replanted any trees?
@@snikerdoodles856 Not to the level they removed. In 20 years maybe it’ll be half of what it was before.
First time watcher. Reminded me of the many exciting trips I made to NYC as a young man. I found your video informative and oddly soothing. Thank you. You’ve earned a new subscriber.
Awesome! Thank you!
There's another reason to consider using the Turnpike even if you can manage the trip entirely though 295 and that's to avoid the bottleneck that occurs around route 42. That general area involves a great deal of merges, with 76 and 676 (traffic from the Walt Whitman and Ben Franklin Bridge) coming together before becoming route 42. At the other end there's route 55 and route 42 which merge together (and has an absolutely abysmal bottleneck). These merges create heavy volume for the very brief section where 295 and 42 merge. The area has been under construction to fix this for decades but little headway has been made.
It was supposed to be done in 2025, but the wall collapse has put it WAAAY behind schedule. There's actually a local blog for the are (42 Freeway) that does a lot of articles about the road work that goes on in the area, new shops that opened, and other general updates about the area.
I'm just glad they FINALLY opened Missing Moves. Being an Uber driver, taking someone from Blackwood to their job in Amazon in Swedesboro was hell trying to get from 42N to I-295S.
I live in south jersey and have dealt with this area my entire life, it is SO annoying. Just constantly under construction and there’s never any progress made
The 55 bottleneck into 42 was actually just finished a few weeks ago, it's 2 lanes now and it's a dream. Still, they're probably only about 30% done with all the work in the 295/42 exchange.
Great video, glad to have "found" your channel. Thanks for your hard work.
The one thing you should always do when driving into NYC is, DON'T. There are plenty of train stations along the way park there and avoid driving there at all.
This is not the first time you've had kind words for New Jersey, and I thank you for that. Yes, I believe the NJ Turnpike is the best, and most famous, highway in the nation. Designed and built when NJ in general had the best roads in the country. Sadly, many of our roads are not in the best shape now, but the Turnpike and Parkway are fabulous.
You need to get out more😂
I love the NJ Turnpike but too often I find that that highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive...
I think you are confusing the Turnpike with highway (Route) 9.
One point to mention when going Northbound after crossing the Delaware bridge it’s only 2 lanes in each direction, not exactly sure when it opens up to 3x3 or when the 2x2 starts Southbound. Also another point expect to pay about $40/50 in tolls from the start of the NJTP after the Delaware bridge crossing into NYC
The NJTP also inspired ON-401's modern design, though the MTO didn't ape the best idea. They DID, however, steal the rest areas; the ONroute system is actually damn good.
No the NJP and 401 aren’t similar at all because on the 401 Trucks and cars can use either the center or right lanes of travel there’s numerous highway junctions exits, no tolls and horrendous traffic every day
That's why they call it the 4-0h-fu#@ing-1😂
What ? Turnpike wa s built in 1950, 4ohF1 was built in 90es, and has like 4 exits\. How turnpike stole any ideas from Toronto shortest highway ?
@@robant5578 I think you got my post mixed up in your head.
Also, the 401 was proposed in 1938 and original route fully opened 1968, not the 90s.
Reminds me of Florida's Turnpike. Back when it was built (before electronic tolling), you would drive through a toll booth and get a ticket that designated which entry point you started on (I think it used a punch hole well into the 1990s). There were rest areas with fuel stations and some shopping and then when you go to your destination, you would shove the card in, it would figure out where you started and where you were ending and it would calculate your total toll. I think that it required a toll booth attendant because they did not have an unattended way to pay via credit card and very few people would carry $15 in quarters.😄
I totally agree, I love the NJ turnpike. Pro tip: always use the truck lane on the weekends
Actually yes. I once took the northbound cars only lanes on a Saturday in August 2022 and there was an accident there. Local lanes would have worked better. Saturday is usually the least busy truck traffic day too.
shhh dont tell everyone
Please, stay in the left lane and do 80. If you have to come in our lanes, give us atleast 2 tractor trailer lengths and keep moving.
.I've been driving the TP for 25 years and as much as I griped about it I have to agree with you. Its clear there is a lot of thought when into its design. Love that that the NJTP authority proffered free coffee during the overnight in the holiday season. I learned the trick of taking 295 from ex 7 to Del to save a couple of bucks on the toll. Before advent of EZ pass it was the damn two way toll in Delaware (which has all of 12 miles of 95) that had traffic back up into two states - Deleware didm’t care. Jersey was always clear northbound after the Del-Mem bridge. I always took the trucks and bus lanes as I found the drivers there were more professional, safer and courteous. I’ve not driven the TP north of exit 10 very much; I usually got off at exit 10 to get to Long Island via the Outterbridge and Staten Island to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the horrible Belt Parkway. My favorite stop was the J. Fenimore Cooper Rest stop near exit 4. Note too that gas was always cheaper in NJ than in Maryland or New York. Always topped off at J. Fenimore Cooper.
Is it even 12 miles of I-95 in Delaware? Feels like less. DE is clearly using those tolls to soak people. Always puts me in a bad mood.
Also by exit is the Cruiser in the Cornfield - NJTP landmark en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Rancocas
People in New Jersey are more attractive too. Objectively.
Lol. Agreed!
Lol. Yes there were some nice Jersey girls in those parts.
hahahahaha 😂
@@MileageMike485 - Haha! My man!!
As an NJ native I couldn't agree more.👍🏾
I’m from cherryhill everytime I can I hop onto the turnpike even when I could go the free way but the traffic is so light on the turnpike i can get anywhere during rush hour Philly traffic
Remember that in New Jersey, the Turnpike is *one* way of getting to New York. You have America's best rail system along the Northeast Corridor with the highest ridership in North America. It's not the best, but it works extremely well, allowing for far less traffic on the turnpike.
There are actually 21 exits on the mainline. 7A, 8A, 13A are separate exits added between the original 1-16, 18. 17 is a southbound only exit. South of exit 4 it is 2 lanes in each direction. Between exits 11 & 14 it is 4x3x3x4 except for 1 mile. Cash payment is still accepted on the Turnpike.
Imagine living in a place where you didn't have to drive a 4000lb 100sqft hunk of steel powered by life destroying dinosaur bones at deadly speeds everywhere to simply exist. Car brain is real.
Yeah, that exists, they're called cities and we have plenty of them. But there's a good reason most people don't want to live in them.
Imagine living in a place that's so densely packed that you have barely any privacy, room to spread out, safety to raise a family, or ability to own a vehicle (one of the greatest liberating luxurious of modern life), and have to be around constant filth and crime all while spending ridiculous money to live there.
@@horseradish4046 Around 35%, up from around 30% 20 years ago while suburban as stayed about the same and rural has declined so people do want to live in cities. Cities are generally safer per capita than rural and suburban areas, that's a misconception that cities are dangerous - you watch too much fox news. Many people raise families in cities, they offer many advantages. And owning a vehicle is a burden not liberating. You my friend are suffering from car brain. Which is more freeing - being able to simply wait for a train or bus then sit down and get where you need to go, or having to pay for insurance, maintenance, fuel, worry about parking, have to literally work to get anywhere, have to be clear and of sober mind (kind be too tired, have drank too much, be on some type of med, etc.) and if for some reason your vehicle is inoperable good luck making it to work and maintaining employment, better hope you have the few thousand dollars needed to fix it and your work is cool with you needing to take some emergency time off.
Additionally in the US the only city you can realistically exist without a car is NYC and maybe Chicago, because american public transit is an absolute joke, and even then good luck leaving the city without renting the car. I promise you the majority of the developed world isn't like this. Furthermore, pedestrian deaths have nearly doubled over the last 20 years, not gone down, in stark contrast to the rest of the developed world. The for some reason allows giant trucks and SUVs which plow over humans rather than hitting a human below their center of mass causing them to roll over the hood, and they allow any Jane Dick or Tom to drive them without any special license because they took the easiest 20 minute test in the world once in a Toyota Camry 15 years ago.
I really loved the dynamic signs on the non - separated part of the Turnpike. And I noticed that even though the volume of cars increases during rush hour, the traffic still flows very freely.
Philly to NYC should be the worst travel corridor in the country. It’s not. Thank you NJ.
I drove the Turnpike solo for the first time last year as I drove from DC to Newark. On my northbound trip, I made the mistake of using the mixed vehicle lanes. I stuck to the cars-only lane on my return trip and it was an amazing ride.