🚧 Turnpike widening plan sparks backlash in Jersey City
🌉 Newark Bay Bridge expansion still doubles lanes, critics say
🏛️ Murphy administration calls revised plan a major compromise
A revamp of a billion-dollar plan to widen New Jersey Turnpike Extension is being applauded by labor unions but jeered by local lawmakers who argue that the project threatens to funnel more traffic and pollution into Hudson County neighborhoods.
While Gov. Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority unveiled a revised plan they describe as a compromise, incoming lawmakers and local advocates say the changes fall far short.
With construction set to begin in 2026 and Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill urged to intervene, the Turnpike could become one of the biggest transportation debates in North Jersey, with Democrats on either side of the divide.
What changed — and what didn’t
State officials announced the elimination of new travel lanes east of Exit 14A, calling the move a $500 million cost savings and a win for nearby communities. The revised plan still replaces the 1,270-foot Newark Bay Bridge with two new bridges carrying four lanes in each direction, doubling capacity at a point that narrows back to two lanes near Jersey City…