(The Center Square) – More than 80% of urban interstate highways in New Jersey are congested during peak hours, the third-highest share in the country, and the state’s traffic volume continues to increase.
That’s according to “America’s Interstate Highway System at 65: Meeting America’s Transportation Needs with a Reliable, Safe & Well-Maintained National Highway Network,” a new report from nonprofit transportation research organization TRIP. New Jersey’s rate of daily interstate travel per lane-mile is the tenth highest nationwide.
Not only are 81% of its urban interstate highways congested during peak hours, travel on interstates in the Garden State increased 36% from 2000 to 2019. That was the 13th highest rate in the nation.
“The Interstate Highway System is a critical part of New Jersey’s transportation network,” Jerry Keenan, president of the New Jersey Alliance for Action, said in a news release. “It is urgent that the federal government address these conditions in order to protect New Jersey’s residents, businesses, the environment and our future way of life.”
According to the report, the pavement on 9% of interstate highways in New Jersey is in poor condition, the third-highest share in the nation. Additionally, 3% of interstate bridges in the state are either in poor condition or structurally deficient, the nineteenth highest share in the country.
In a news release, Ed Mortimer, vice president of transportation infrastructure for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the report “confirms what American businesses experience every day—our Interstate Highway System, which was once the envy of the world, is in serious need of modernization.”
