Pulaski Skyway Closure Gets First Rush-Hour Test and It's No Carmageddon

The 81-year-old bridge typically handles 67,000 cars and trucks per day

It wasn't "carmageddon.'' In fact, the first weekday commute with the inbound Pulaski Skyway closed wasn't much different from a normal Monday.

School vacations and a holiday week combined to keep traffic light and give commuters a break from what figures to be a long haul for those who drive in to Jersey City or lower Manhattan.

Inbound traffic will be detoured from the 82-year-old span for the next two years for repairs. The bridge officially closed Saturday.

When the inbound lanes are completed in about a year, outbound traffic will use those lanes so the outbound lanes can be repaired.

Transportation officials are urging commuters to carpool or take public transit instead of driving. 

Jersey City is deploying more than 50 police officers to direct traffic through the city.

The bridge typically handles 67,000 cars and trucks per day. Officials have said the $1 billion repair is cheaper and faster than the $5 billion it would cost to knock down the bridge and build a new skyway.

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