Frankenstorm 2012 was loaded with tricks for New Jersey and New York on Oct. 29. At one point, every county in New Jersey had at least one road closure or weather-related traffic incident.
It got so bad on the Garden State Parkway—portions were closed in the morning—that state officials blocked off three-fourths of the 173-mile-long route. All closures were to remain in effect until further notice. High winds and heavy rain also took the New Jersey Turnpike’s Hudson County Extension between Exit 14 and the Holland Tunnel and a portion between Exit 8 and Exit 7 to be taken out of service, and speed restrictions were placed on nearly 100 miles below Exit 12.
A travel ban remained in effect for the region on Oct. 30, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said officials would have to assess the situation before commuters could take trains and buses to work.
Across the way in New York City, the Holland and Brooklyn Battery tunnels closed at 2 p.m. on Oct. 29. The George Washington, Verrazano Narrows and Throgs Neck bridges were all shut down, as were the three spans from New Jersey to Staten Island—Bayonne and Goethals bridges and the Outerbridge Crossing.
Downed wired forced the closing of the I-95/Scudder Falls Bridge north of Trenton, N.J.
New York’s MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said the city’s subway system had never faced a disaster like this in its 108-year history. As of Oct. 30, seven subway tunnels under the East River were under water, as was the Hugh Carey Tunnel. The Queens Midtown Tunnel also was closed.
