Travel ban lifted for all counties in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- The state of New Jersey has lifted a statewide travel ban imposed last night due to the approaching nor'easter.
The state issued the following statement Tuesday morning:
The State of New Jersey has revoked the statewide travel ban that was put into effect at 11:00 p.m. last evening. The travel ban is revoked in all 21 counties.
New Jerseyans should continue to stay off the roads whenever possible throughout the day as transportation and public safety officials continue their work to clear the roadways from the snowfall. New Jerseyans should abide by all traffic laws and be extremely cautious if they must travel today.
The travel ban was first declared for most drivers across New Jersey starting at 11 p.m. Monday.
The ban was signed by the State Police Superintendent Col. Joseph Fuentes and announced by Governor Chris Christie on Twitter Monday night.
The ban excluded emergency personnel, utility companies and others assisting in storm preparedness and recovery.
There were also exclusions in the ban for those operating vital businesses or providing medical care and the media. Vital businesses include hardware stores and pharmacies.
Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency earlier Monday.
New Jersey State Police released an advisory on the travel ban.
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New Jersey Transit shut down and Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency Monday as the storm taking aim at the Northeast dropped several inches of snow, a precursor to the up to 2 feet that was forecast to fall in some parts of the state.
Christie, who gained fame for telling residents to "get the hell off the beach" before Hurricane Irene hit the state in 2011, used softer language Monday but was no less emphatic as he urged people to stay off the roads. He closed state offices early Monday and said they will remain closed Tuesday.
"You should only go out in case of an absolute emergency or necessity," he said. "We do not need people on the roadways. It makes it much more difficult to do our jobs. We would like to make Wednesday productive for everybody, and the only way for us to make Wednesday productive is for you to give us the opportunity to do our job on Tuesday and this evening."
State police Superintendent Col. Joseph Fuentes declared a travel ban starting at 11 p.m. for most drivers. There are exclusions in the ban for emergency personnel, people helping with storm recovery, those operating vital businesses or providing medical care and the media. Fuentes said the ban would be revoked at daybreak if conditions allow.
Forecasters predicted the greatest accumulations in Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex, Hudson, Bergen, Essex and Union counties.
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TRANSPORTATION SHUT DOWN:
After NJ Transit initially said that commuter train lines would be shut down until Thursday, Executive Director Veronique Hakim said Monday night that service would be restored as soon as possible after the storm.
Hakim says light rail, bus and access link service will resume when conditions permit and that commuter rail service will resume when conditions permit and federal inspections are completed.
"We understand that our customers want to resume their normal travel on our system, but with safety as our first priority, we will only do so when we can ensure that it's safe to travel," Hakim said. "NJ Transit will work hard to restore service as quickly as possible."
-Service on PATH trains was to be suspended until further notice after 11 p.m. and all trans-Hudson River crossings were to be closed.
-PATCO posted special snow schedules for Monday and Tuesday online.
-Amtrak service between New York and New England was to be suspended Tuesday, and the transit agency warned of reduced frequency elsewhere on the Northeast Corridor.
-United canceled all flights in and out of Newark Liberty International on Tuesday and American Airlines said it would run a "very limited" scheduled throughout the Northeast.
-State police said abandoned and disabled vehicles on state and interstate roadways will be towed.
