I only wish this was just a “Happy Friday and Have A Great Weekend” email….but sadly it isn't...
The 80 year old Rt. 495 Bridge that goes over Rte. 1 & 9 is being replaced. This is the part of Rt. 495 that is just west of the Columbia Park Theater and before you hit the ramp to Rt. 3 and the NJ Turnpike. Closures begin tonight and will continue throughout the week.
Beginning next Friday the 17th, one lane in each direction will be closed FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. Look at this picture of 4 lanes moving in each direction to help you envision what reducing to 3 lanes will be.
It is expected by all to be U-G-L-Y for all those who use this route. An NJDOT representative told me last fall when I asked which route will be most impacted, after first wincing, that those who use Rt 3 coming back towards Hoboken in the evening should expect their returning commute time to double. 
Although the nightmare will now primarily be to those who use the north end of Hoboken to come and go, as we all know this will have a ripple effect to the other egress routes as well.
CLICK HERE FOR A NJ.COM ARTICLE THAT PROVIDES IMPORTANT AND INFORMATIVE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
A notable one:
Q: Are there other driving options?
A: How about the George Washington Bridge or Holland Tunnel? Seriously, those are suggested by officials as the other highway options to New York. There is no other highway that parallels Route 495 to the Lincoln Tunnel. That has officials in Union City and North Bergen fearing an influx of traffic detouring off 495 and inundating local streets.
Detouring on local streets is a bad idea. If you aren’t familiar with Hudson County’s urban roads, don’t even try to do this. These are on narrow, mostly one-way streets with stop signs or traffic lights every other block. In other words, they are unsuitable for through-traffic and have the potential for tie-ups that could be as bad as driving Route 495.
As always, feel free to reach out if you want to discuss further by email or by phone/text at 201/208-1674. PLEASE ALSO FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW. THIS EFFECTS EVERYONE IN HOBOKEN AND OUR VISITORS.
And Happy Friday and Have A Great Weekend!
