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Expect Delays In NJ Driving To And From The Lincoln Tunnel For Next 2 1/2 Years !


njhorseman
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We are driving from the south up the turnpike and have reservations in Secaucus the night prior to our cruise. Sailing 9/30 and our first sailing out of Manhattan. Wondering how bad the traffic is on Sunday getting in and out of Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel with this construction....should I think about alternative routes???

 

Sunday morning traffic is generally lighter than it is at other times, but you really need to check the traffic conditions on that morning. Listen to 880 WCBS and 1010 WINS for the information. I'm also cruising on 9/30 and I will be listening to those radio stations as I drive in from central NJ .

 

Coming from Secaucus you can easily use the George Washington Bridge as an alternate route into Manhattan if traffic is jammed into the Lincoln Tunnel.

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Sunday morning traffic is generally lighter than it is at other times, but you really need to check the traffic conditions on that morning. Listen to 880 WCBS and 1010 WINS for the information. I'm also cruising on 9/30 and I will be listening to those radio stations as I drive in from central NJ .

 

Coming from Secaucus you can easily use the George Washington Bridge as an alternate route into Manhattan if traffic is jammed into the Lincoln Tunnel.

 

 

Thank you for the information! We are sailing on the NCL Escape. I will definitely check the radio stations in the morning!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Wouldnt taking a train (NJ Transit or Amtrak depending on point of origination) and then a short taxi ride be an option?

(no parking fees, no tunnel traffic worries)

 

Yes it is an option if you can easily get to a train station, but the trains have been so unreliable in recent times, with numerous cancellations and delays, it's hard to recommend that mode of transportation.

 

By all reports the delays on 495 haven't been as bad as feared. I'll be driving that way for the first time since the lane closures in about 10 days and I'll report back on my experience.

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  • 3 weeks later...

We've now driven this route on Sunday morning September 30 from NJ to Manhattan and Sunday morning October 7 from Manhattan to NJ and encountered no problems or significant traffic delays.

 

Barring something else occurring it looks like Sunday morning trips to and from NY are not going to be a problem.

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  • 2 weeks later...

this is good info as i havent been in NY since july. 

 

since  i'm sailing from brooklyn saturday this probably shouldnt affect me should it?

 

from PA looks like 78 to 287 to 440 to 278 across the VN bridge is best and i think last year i came 78 to 95 then south to 278. 

 

worded another way. whats the best way from the 78/287 split to get the brooklyn?

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22 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

this is good info as i havent been in NY since july. 

 

since  i'm sailing from brooklyn saturday this probably shouldnt affect me should it?

 

from PA looks like 78 to 287 to 440 to 278 across the VN bridge is best and i think last year i came 78 to 95 then south to 278. 

 

worded another way. whats the best way from the 78/287 split to get the brooklyn?

You won't be going anywhere near this construction project. Your best route depends on exactly where you're coming from, and traffic that day but your planned route will work barring any unusual traffic conditions.

 

Edited by njhorseman
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12 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

coming 78 just am not sure stay on till 95 and cut south or take 287 at the 78 split. 

 

It all depends on traffic that day and any road construction projects, but all things being equal I would stay on 78, take 95 (NJ Turnpike) south to exit 13 and take the Goethals Bridge into Staten Island. If you take 287 and go over the Outerbridge Crossing into Staten Island you're adding additional miles to your trip by going further south than you have to and then reversing what you just did by having to drive north in Staten island to get to 278 (Staten Island Expressway).

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  • 5 months later...

Just to add a belated update, there were still no significant delays in the construction zone in early January and mid February when I traveled to and from the Manhattan cruise terminal. I asked one of my limo drivers about it and he said it can get rather backed up driving into NY during weekday rush hours. 

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15 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Just to add a belated update, there were still no significant delays in the construction zone in early January and mid February when I traveled to and from the Manhattan cruise terminal. I asked one of my limo drivers about it and he said it can get rather backed up driving into NY during weekday rush hours. 

I have several friends who commute daily, the construction has added significant time to the weekday commute.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/30/2018 at 1:54 PM, njhorseman said:

One lane in each direction of 495, the main route in NJ to and from the Lincoln Tunnel, will be closed effective August 17 for the next 2 1/2 years. Of course don't be surprised if the closures last longer than scheduled...they often do.

 

Cruisers bound to and from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal obviously will be be affected, although the delays may not be that bad on weekend mornings. It will be more important than ever to monitor traffic reports on AM radio stations WCBS 880 and WINS 1010 if you're driving into or out of Manhattan. Alternate routing via the Holland tunnel or George Washington Bridge may be advisable when delays are substantial.

 

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article215760170.html

 

That figures......we will be driving in on August 18 for a cruise out of Manhattan. Thank you for the heads up.

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5 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

That figures......we will be driving in on August 18 for a cruise out of Manhattan. Thank you for the heads up.

Charles, we haven't had any significant problems driving in on weekends and when I've asked limo drivers I was told it's weekday rush hours that are most problematic, which makes sense.

 

Since you're driving in on a Sunday unless there's a separate problem such as an accident causing delays I don't expect you'll have any difficulty . 

 

I always listen to WCBS 880 and WINS 1010 for their traffic reports, each every 10 minutes "on the 8's" or "on the 1's", respectively.

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Thank you so much, njhorseman.  As usual, you are extremely gracious and helpful.  

 

We we will be arriving at EWR at approx 4pm on a Thurs in May after a 5 hour direct flight from SNA, and have a hotel in midtown Manhattan.  My question, if I may, is how bad is/will be rush hour @ 5pm and how bad would Uber/Lyft spike pricing be?  (We’ve tried the ‘limo’ guys before and didn’t care for them.). Thank you!

 

Alison

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1 hour ago, JuneauWhatIMean said:

Thank you so much, njhorseman.  As usual, you are extremely gracious and helpful.  

 

We we will be arriving at EWR at approx 4pm on a Thurs in May after a 5 hour direct flight from SNA, and have a hotel in midtown Manhattan.  My question, if I may, is how bad is/will be rush hour @ 5pm and how bad would Uber/Lyft spike pricing be?  (We’ve tried the ‘limo’ guys before and didn’t care for them.). Thank you!

 

Alison

It should be full on rush hour. DH drove into midtown at 5 last Friday, 1 1/2 hours, 12 miles. Definitely surge pricing.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

We are cruising on Carnival Sunrise Monday, June 20th out of Manhattan. We've already made a firm decision to drive and park at the terminal. The plan is to get there sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. Do you think we should just suffer through the traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel or go further North to the GWB?

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Cindy

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44 minutes ago, cloudydrms said:

We are cruising on Carnival Sunrise Monday, June 20th out of Manhattan. We've already made a firm decision to drive and park at the terminal. The plan is to get there sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. Do you think we should just suffer through the traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel or go further North to the GWB?

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Cindy

No way to tell in advance. Listen to the traffic reports on 1010 WINS and 880 WCBS for conditions that morning and pick your route accordingly. I only take the GWB if the Lincoln Tunnel is a mess.

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3 hours ago, cloudydrms said:

We are cruising on Carnival Sunrise Monday, June 20th out of Manhattan. We've already made a firm decision to drive and park at the terminal. The plan is to get there sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. Do you think we should just suffer through the traffic at the Lincoln Tunnel or go further North to the GWB?

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Cindy

It changes day to day, we’ve cruises out of manhattan four times, live ten miles left of the Lincoln Tunnel, and have taken the bridge twice as directed by google maps.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Scrolled thru all the comments and most seem interested in going from Newark to the Manhattan cruise port.  Our Princess ship leaves in September from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook but we will be spending a few days in Manhattan first.   So, at the moment, we have a pkg booked with Princess that includes transfer from airport to hotel, hotel stay, transfer from the hotel to Brooklyn.   I have been trying to be cost efficient and considering getting the hotel on our own which means we would be responsible for airport to hotel (no problem I think) but looks like there could be stress leaving midtown Manhattan in a cab to the cruise port.   Maybe best to leave it all to Princess even if the cost is higher?

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1 hour ago, Northern Light said:

Scrolled thru all the comments and most seem interested in going from Newark to the Manhattan cruise port.  Our Princess ship leaves in September from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook but we will be spending a few days in Manhattan first.   So, at the moment, we have a pkg booked with Princess that includes transfer from airport to hotel, hotel stay, transfer from the hotel to Brooklyn.   I have been trying to be cost efficient and considering getting the hotel on our own which means we would be responsible for airport to hotel (no problem I think) but looks like there could be stress leaving midtown Manhattan in a cab to the cruise port.   Maybe best to leave it all to Princess even if the cost is higher?

No, the problem being caused by the construction project being discussed in this thread will affect your trip from Newark Airport to Manhattan, not from Manhattan to Brooklyn. A taxi or car service or Uber from your hotel to Brooklyn will be easy.

To get to Manhattan from EWR there are options including train and airport express his service in addition to taking a car service.

 

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