Ramp, lanes on Route 495 in New Jersey to close for 3 years
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The busy 31st Street ramp between Route 495 and Kennedy Boulevard in New Jersey closes Friday and the number of lanes on 495 will reduce next week for nearly three years.
The closures, slated to last at least 2 and a half years, will support a rehabilitation project on the Route 495 Bridge.
The 31st Street ramp closure impacts drivers coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey who need to travel westbound on Route 495. This affects local traffic going through Union City that use 495 to get onto the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 3.
Approximately 1,200 cars use that ramp daily.
It will not affect the Lincoln Tunnel itself.
The ramp will be closed starting at 11 p.m., and all traffic will be diverted to Paterson Plank Road.
New Jersey Transit buses will be able to access the ramp between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays only.
RELATED: What you need to know about the L-train shutdown in New York City
Starting August 17, the traffic nightmare gets real.
On 495, one eastbound lane and one westbound lane will close, so the number of lanes in both directions will decrease from three to two.
This means drivers traveling to 495 from Route 3 will be limited to one lane. Drivers accessing it through the New Jersey Turnpike need to squeeze through two lanes.
Like the ramp closure, the lane closures will also last almost three years.
The exclusive bus lane will remain in place during the entire construction project, so officials recommend using mass transit. Drivers can also use the George Washington Bridge, Holland Tunnel and Verranano Bridge as alternatives.
More than 150,000 motorists drive over the 80-year-old Route 495 Bridge daily. It's considered structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.
The $90 million project is expected to extend the bridge's life by 75 years.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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