NEWS |
180-00: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , December 26, 2000
The 2,500-foot ramp will link the Palisades Interstate Parkway toll plaza with the bridge's lower level. Currently, the only access to the bridge for parkway travelers is via a two-lane ramp to the bridge's upper level.
"This new ramp, along with our new high-tech traffic management system, will give us tremendous flexibility to improve traffic flow on the bridge," said Ken Philmus, the Port Authority's Director of Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals.
"With the new ramp, we will balance out the traffic and direct travelers to the bridge's upper or lower levels if one level becomes congested or if construction or maintenance is required," Mr. Philmus said. "With our new electronic traffic control signs, we can provide travelers with real-time information on which ramp will give them a quicker trip over the bridge.
"In addition, this new ramp will reduce the number of travelers who exit the Palisades Interstate Parkway north of the toll plaza when there are traffic delays and travel through Fort Lee streets to get to the bridge," Mr. Philmus said.
The Port Authority is currently meeting with property owners to acquire about 2½ acres of land needed to build the new ramp. Simultaneously, design work for the new ramp, which requires construction of five bridges, is under way.
The property acquisition and design work will take approximately two years to complete. Construction is scheduled to begin in the early part of 2003 and be completed by the end of 2004.
Approximately 9,000 vehicles use the existing ramp from the Palisades Interstate Parkway to the bridge between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. weekdays.