New Jersey commuters were trapped in traffic armageddon Tuesday, with multiple accidents halting buses and cars headed to the Lincoln Tunnel and NJ Transit trains felled by wire issues — leading some travelers to hop out of buses and start walking along the turnpike.
A disabled bus stalled out in the south tube of the tunnel before 7 a.m., helping to create the hours-long delays that ensnared many commuters trying to just make it to their desks.
The broken-down bus appeared to be missing a wheel, PIX11 anchor Dan Mannarino posted on X.
The site of the back-up at the Lincoln Tunnel shows snarled vehicles.
Morning commuters faced more than 90-minute delays early Tuesday because of area accidents. FOX 5 New YorkThe road back-ups got so bad that some bus riders got off the vehicles and began walking along the New Jersey Turnpike, video from PIX11 showed.
It was not clear where the intrepid commuters were headed.
“Officially in car 2 hours 20 min & have driven 16 miles,” FOX 5 sports anchor Tina Cervasio shared in a personal update on the slow-moving conditions shortly after 7 a.m.
“Hello from my car on the Lincoln Tunnel Helix. I’ve been in park 45 min after crawling from Secaucus. Was too far in to divert,” she wrote.
“Might not make it to work to do my sports hits.”
The Lincoln Center traffic only worsened when a vehicle overturned on Route 3 near Route 120 in East Rutherford on the Jersey side of the tunnel, PIX11 said.
The westbound side of the route was closed, and the left lane was blocked on the eastbound side.
The Lincoln Tunnel center tube had already been closed earlier Tuesday because of a motorcycle accident just before 4 a.m., the Port Authority said.
The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital in critical condition, sources told PIX 11.
Highway to hell
New Jersey commuters were delayed from getting into Manhattan at nearly every turn Tuesday morning.
Lincoln Tunnel:
Center tube closed around 4 a.m. due to a motorcycle crash. All lanes of the center tube reopened by 9:15 a.m. but left major delays.
A bus broke down in the south tube around 7 a.m., creating hours-long road delays.
On the roads:
Overturned vehicle closed fast lane on Route 3 eastbound, near Route 120 in East Rutherford. Westbound side of the route was closed and the left lane was blocked on the eastbound side.
On the rails:
NJ Transit service to NY Penn Station was suspended just before 10 a.m. because of wire issues in Hudson River tunnels. Services were diverted to Hoboken. Service resumed after about an hour, but with 30-minute delays.
Earlier Tuesday, NJ Transit was running with delays of up to 30 minutes as trains made additional stops at Secaucus Junction because of the Lincoln Tunnel bus service delays.
Holland Tunnel:
Drivers diverted from the Lincoln Tunnel led to at least 30-minute delays.
All lanes of the center tube were reopened by 9:15 a.m. — but major residual delays continued.
Biba Naouai, a nurse and co-owner of the Muffins Shop on the Upper West Side, said she and her husband tend not to do a lot of chatting while driving from Bloomfield, NJ, to work in Manhattan in the wee hours.
She said that during their three hours in Tuesday’s gridlock, she looked out the window — and noticed people took matters into their own hands when Nature called during the grueling delays.
“I saw many plastic bottles filled with pee by the wayside — glad I’d gone before we left,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, road warriors who thought they’d smartly ditch their wheels to dodge the traffic snarls and take a train instead were out of luck, too.
NJ Transit service to Penn Station in the Big Apple was suspended just before 10 a.m. because of overhead wire issues in the Hudson River tunnels, the agency said.
The center lanes of the Lincoln Tunnel reopened at 9:15 a.m. but major delays still occurred.
NJ Transit service to New York City was suspended just before 10 a.m. due to wire issues in the Hudson River tunnels. Evelyn Cordon/NY Post“Midtown Direct service is being diverted to Hoboken. NJ TRANSIT bus and private carriers are crossing honoring rail tickets and passes,” the announcement read.
Service into Penn Station resumed after about an hour but was still hit with at least 30-minute delays — creating more major back-ups.
Earlier Tuesday, NJ Transit commuters faced delays of up to 30 minutes as trains made additional stops at Secaucus Junction because of the Lincoln Tunnel bus service delays.
Drivers who diverted from the Lincoln Tunnel to the Holland Tunnel led to at least 30-minute delays at the Holland, the Port Authority said.
Tuesday was a difficult day for anyone trying to move in New York City, as well.
The NYPD shut down scores of streets in Midtown for the beginning of the UN General Assembly.
The hefty security measures are expected to last through the end of the high-level meetings between world leaders Sept. 24.
