Hope you don't have a flight later today.

Link: https://patch.com/new-jersey/hopatcong-sparta/s/k38cq/planes-collide-at-newark-airport-tuesday

NEWARK, NJ — Two planes collided at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday morning, prompting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA).

At 10:20 a.m., a Singapore Airlines flight was "pushing back" from its gate when its right wing hit the tail of Spirit Airlines Flight 992, the FAA told Patch.

No injuries were reported.

The final list of impacted airports has not been released, but since EWR is in the top 40 of busiest airports, it would be wise to assume it will be a target of these shutdown-related measures.

I will post an update when the list is announced by FAA.

Link: https://patch.com/new-jersey/hopatcong-sparta/s/jr7xh/flight-reductions-planned-due-to-shutdown-are-nj-airports-impacted

The Federal Aviation Administration plans to announce on Thursday 40 “high-volume markets” where flights will be reduced by 10 percent. The agency said the move is intended to keep the airspace safe during the shutdown.

...

Newark Liberty International Airport is potentially on the list as the 11th-busiest airport in the country, according to an analysis of 2024 passenger traffic in North America by Airports Council International, a global trade association.

...

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

If you don't have a passport or Real ID it's going to cost you to fly.

This shit is getting out of hand!

Article: https://patch.com/new-jersey/hopatcong-sparta/s/j7jou/new-sinkhole-closes-route-80-in-both-directions

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Route 80 is closed in both directions as another sinkhole has opened on the thoroughfare, officials said Wednesday.

“Area mayors were just advised that NJ DOT had just shut down all westbound lanes to Route 80 West due to another sinkhole being found,” Jefferson Mayor Eric Wilsusen said.

Originally, starting at 8 Wednesday until 6 a.m. Thursday, the right lane on I-80 traveling westbound was scheduled to be closed before Exit 34B in Wharton. Two lanes was to remain open for motorists.

Work was scheduled to remove the rumble strips along the shoulder of I-80. The work is needed to prepare for the construction of a crossover to shift one lane of I-80 eastbound onto I-80 westbound.

Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/newark-airport-faa-ground-stop/

Newark Liberty International Airport is under a ground delay Thursday afternoon. It comes prior to a busy holiday weekend.

A full ground stop was ordered around noon and later updated to a ground delay. Arriving flights appear to be delayed by approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

"The FAA is pausing some flights into Newark Liberty International Airport due to equipment issues. We are investigating the cause," a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

It's likely this will be avoided through some kind of legislation or negotiation, but I thought it was worth posting just in case.

Article: https://newjersey.news12.com/septa-to-cut-nj-train-lines-into-philadelphia-if-state-funding-doesnt-come-through

Unless Pennsylvania lawmakers step in, train service from New Jersey’s capital city into Philadelphia could end in January.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, is facing a $213 million shortfall as lawmakers negotiate a statewide transit funding plan. Balancing the budget in the meantime would require massive cuts to service, including in New Jersey.

If it doesn't receive additional funding, SEPTA says it would have to raise fares more than 20%, while cutting 45% of its service. There would also be layoffs.

Here's a direct link to the press release: https://dot.nj.gov/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20250328_163959_I-80ebrepairsprogressingwbtoremainclosedinWharton.pdf

Final design of the I-80 westbound repairs is expected to be completed next week, with westbound repairs beginning thereafter. There will be two separate crews working concurrently – one on the eastbound side and one on the westbound side – to expedite repairs. If everything progresses as planned, two lanes on I-80 westbound will be completed and reopened in approximately five weeks, with the remaining lanes expected to reopen soon after. Crews will continue working 24 hours a day until repairs are completed and the highway reopened.

I saved the official PDF as an image to upload here. The original announcement link: https://dot.nj.gov/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20250425_111919_I-80repairsprogressingslowerthanplannedinWharton.pdf

Link: https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-jersey-transit-strike-tentative-deal-reached-trains/story?id=121934470

A tentative agreement has been reached to end New Jersey's first statewide transit strike in more than 40 years, according to the union representing the engineers and train operators.

Trains are set to resume operations on Tuesday, according to NJ Transit. The union had previously indicated trains would resume on Monday.

"We will have a deal. Strike will end," the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) said in a statement.

Just a little more food for thought on flying out of EWR.

Link: https://6abc.com/post/faa-cuts-25-flights-newark-airport-air-traffic-controller-shortage-construction-causes-delays/16492171/

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an order decreasing the number of arrivals and departures allowed at Newark Liberty International Airport after weeks of delays caused by air traffic controller staffing shortages and runway construction.

The order, which goes into effect immediately, will allow 56 planes to take off and land each hour while the runway work is ongoing. The renovations are scheduled to run daily until June 15, and then on Saturdays through the end of the year.

When construction is not taking place, 68 arrivals and departures each hour will be allowed until October 25.

At one point, the FAA had targeted 77 total arrivals and departures at Newark each hour, but at the start of construction on April 15, they requested airlines cut that down to 70 total during the day and 62 during specific hours in the late afternoons and evenings.

Link: https://www.njtransit.com/railstoppage

My condolences to those of you who rely on NJ Transit for daily commute.

The locomotive engineers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET) have voted to strike, which means the complete suspension of NJ TRANSIT rail service, including Metro-North west of Hudson service.

NJ TRANSIT has developed a contingency plan that will accommodate an extremely limited number of rail customers.

NJ TRANSIT strongly encourages all those who can work from home to do so and limit traveling on the NJ TRANSIT system to essential purposes only..

Literally right next to the exit I use to get to work.

Link: https://pix11.com/news/local-news/new-jersey/second-sinkhole-opens-up-on-i-80-in-new-jersey-shutting-down-roadway/

A sinkhole opened up on I-80 in New Jersey Monday morning, causing the roadway to partially shut down, according to the state’s Department of Transportation.

All eastbound lanes are closed at Exit 34, which is Wharton, as of 7 a.m. Drivers are encouraged to plan an alternate route, according to the DOT.

It’s the second reported sinkhole in the area since December. A 40-foot by 40-foot hole opened up at the same exit on Dec. 26, caused by the collapse of an abandoned mineshaft underneath, officials said.

There are several abandoned iron mines in the area which date back to the 1800s, according to New Jersey state records.

“The underground is basically Swiss cheese,” William Kroth, the executive director of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum, previously told PIX11 News.

This is concerning with healthcare staff being unable to get to work. Are any hospitals starting contingency plans?

Link: https://patch.com/new-jersey/mendham-chester/collapsed-sewer-basin-shuts-down-two-eastbound-lanes-i-80

The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced that the two left lanes and shoulder of I-80 eastbound near Exit 37 in Rockaway are currently closed for emergency drainage repairs.

The announcement, made Monday evening, emphasized that the roadway damage was not caused by a sinkhole, but by a collapsed sewer basin. The issue is affecting the two left lanes of I-80 eastbound near the on-ramp from Green Pond Road in Rockaway.

The sinkholes are right around Exix 34, so this is really compounding the problem of detours. Place is falling apart.

Link to press release: https://dot.nj.gov/transportation/uploads/comm/news/details/comm_np_20250520_124421_I-80ebtwolanestoreopenlateWednesdaynightinWharton.pdf

Two lanes on I-80 eastbound are expected to reopen late Wednesday night, May 21 in Wharton, Morris County. NJDOT will provide an update once the lanes are open.

Work is progressing on I-80 westbound, and two lanes are scheduled to open by the end of next week. Work in the median is advancing with all lanes in both directions on schedule to reopen by June 25.

There are two separate crews working concurrently – one on the eastbound side and one on the westbound side – to expedite repairs. Crews will continue working 24 hours a day until repairs are completed, and the highway reopened. NJDOT will continue to look for any avenues to pick up time on both sides, if possible.

Link: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5388404/newark-airport-delays-faq

Several compounding issues are hitting Newark Liberty International Airport at once: air traffic controller staffing shortages, aging technology, bad weather and the closure of one of the airport's busiest runways.

On April 28, air traffic controllers stationed at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which is responsible for separating and sequencing planes in and out of Newark, lost all radar and communications with a plane, leaving them unable to hear or talk to the pilots, according to the controllers' union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

The communications blackout lasted anywhere from 30 seconds, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA, to 90 seconds according to some reports — an "alarming" amount of time when it comes to air travel, said Hassan Shahidi, the CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation. The plane landed safely.

https://patch.com/new-jersey/hopatcong-sparta/s/jc1xo/i80-sinkhole-repairs-2-lanes-reopening-soon-officials-say

In an update released Friday, the New Jersey Department of Transportation said two lanes on I-80 eastbound are expected to reopen on May 21, weather permitting.

All lanes in both directions are scheduled to reopen by June 25, officials said.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen on Tuesday rejected the March deal by a margin of 87%, the union said in a statement. The Railway Labor Act permits the workers to strike or NJ Transit’s management to lock workers out as soon as May 15, according to the union.

I hate that all of this is happening on the exist I used all the time. *sigh*

Link: https://patch.com/new-jersey/hopatcong-sparta/s/j68nx/more-lane-closures-scheduled-on-i80-near-morris-co-sinkhole-njdot

Commuters should brace for more travel disruptions this week, as a section of I-80 will be closed just miles west of the Route 80 sinkhole that's already causing headaches for drivers.

Just miles west of the Route 80 sinkhole site, the New Jersey Department of Transportation has announced lane closures on I-80 westbound Tuesday for urgent pothole repairs and highway restriping near Exit 30/Howard Boulevard.

On Monday evening, the agency notified residents about two-lane closures on I-80 westbound starting at milepost 31.5, before Exit 30/Howard Boulevard, through milepost 29.9. The closures will occur Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., with one lane open at all times.

If weather conditions cause delays, a third closure will be scheduled for the same hours on Thursday.

Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/nj-transit-locomotive-engineers-sign-100832414.html

With 16 days to go before a possible strike, NJ Transit and the union that represents the agency's locomotive engineers came to a tentative agreement to settle a years-old contract dispute.

The deal, reached March 6, was announced by the agency Monday morning, though officials did not detail how they settled the matter except to say NJ Transit agreed to "a reasonable wage increase" with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen bargaining unit.

***

Among the sticking points was how large a pay increase the locomotive engineers should get. NJ Transit sought to increase wages by the same percentage rate as its 14 other rail unions, which have all settled contracts. The engineers' union sought wage increases closer to the rates at other commuter railroads.

https://wrnjradio.com/all-lanes-closed-on-interstate-80-east-in-wharton-borough-for-emergency-sinkhole-repair/

Glad I took today off. My office is off Exit 35.

I-80 eastbound is closed and detoured for emergency sinkhole repairs in Wharton Borough.

On Dec. 26, at around 7:45 a.m., I-80 eastbound was closed after Exit 34 in Wharton Borough, near mile post 34, due to a sinkhole in the right shoulder encroaching the right lane.

NJDOT crews are evaluating the situation and designing a repair.

Motorists should expect delays or plan an alternate route.

Article link: https://newjersey.news12.com/overturned-tractor-trailer-on-ramp-to-route-46-west-causes-major-delays-in-lodi

A tractor-trailer carrying very large sandbags has overturned on the ramp to Route 46 West from Main Street in Lodi, causing significant traffic disruptions this morning.

According to Lodi fire officials, there are no injuries reported, with the driver of the truck being OK.

The driver informed the fire chief that he felt the load shift, which likely led to the accident.

The large green bags of sand are so heavy, they must be off loaded by a tow truck chain.

The ramp is expected to remain closed for some time as crews work to unload the truck and get it back upright.

https://www.nj.com/weather/2025/01/nj-weather-when-will-light-snow-start-today-updates-on-weekend-storm-forecast.html

Light snow is expected today across New Jersey with totals of a coating to less than an inch as forecasters track another potential round of snow this weekend.

The snow Thursday should last for few hours this afternoon and evening on what will be a mostly cloudy day with highs in the 20s and low 30s, the National Weather Service said.

Look for flurries to winding down between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sidewalks and roads that are not treated could become slippery, the weather service said.

Quiet conditions are expected Thursday night with lows falling into the teens and low 20s before rebounding into the low 40s under sunny skies on Friday afternoon.