What to Know
- Crews will close the 31st Street ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Route 495 westbound in Union City, beginning at 11:30 Friday night
- Starting Aug. 17, one lane in each direction of the Route 495 bridge over routes 1 and 9 will be closed for two and a half years
- The bus lane that carries passengers to the Lincoln Tunnel will remain open; drivers are urged to take mass transit, the Holland or the GWB
Beginning Friday night, crews will begin work in New Jersey on Route 495, affecting several bus routes and thousands of drivers, rehab work right near the Lincoln Tunnel that will last more than two years.
Construction crews will close the 31st Street ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Route 495 westbound in Union City, starting at 11:30 p.m. It will directly affect 18 bus routes and detour drivers onto Paterson Plank Road.
The closure is expected to be the calm before the storm ahead of the major project that will begin Aug. 17 and affect virtually anyone who uses the Lincoln Tunnel.
![ROUTE 495 RAMP NJDOT](https://media.nbcnewyork.com/2019/09/ROUTE-495-RAMP-NJDOT.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=123%2C123)
One lane in each direction of the Route 495 bridge over routes 1 and 9 will be closed for two and a half years so that the Department of Transportation can replace the 80-year-old viaduct. The closures will result in limited roadway capacity and will cause severe congestion, NJ Transit said.
The bus lane that carries passengers to the Lincoln Tunnel will remain open, however. Officials are urging drivers to use mass transit to get around the construction, which won’t be fully finished until 2021. The Holland Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge are better Hudson River crossing options.
Click here for your Route 495 survival guide.
The 495 project coincides with the Pulaski Skyway being reopened June 30.