Downtown snarled as snow piles affect traffic flow along major thoroughfares Watch video
NEWARK -- Rush hour was a nightmare for drivers passing through the downtown area Tuesday night.
Motorists and media accounts described traffic at a standstill heading towards the city's main crossroads, Broad and Market streets, as of about 5:30 p.m. Delays along McCarter Highway were as long as an hour or more, News 12 New Jersey reported.
My commute home from #Newark 3 days before #blizzard2016 : 22m; 3 days after #blizzard2016 : 1hr 22m. @njdotcom
-- Rosalyn Charles (@ResolveNow) January 27, 2016
NJ Transit buses were averaging about 45-minute delays throughout rush hour and beyond, with delays persisting as of about 8 p.m., a Transit spokeswoman, Nancy Snyder, said.
Jay Dow, a journalist, posted video from the vehicle he was traveling in along Broad Street around 7 p.m. Dow saw people leaving buses stopped in traffic and walking, and interviewed others at bus stops who said they had been waiting for at least an hour.
Traffic in Newark is a mess right now. pic.twitter.com/8OgZyzSjHd
-- Jeremy Settle (@JeremySettle) January 26, 2016
Newark has been grappling with the aftereffects of Saturday's blizzard, which dumped a record amount of snow on the city. A number of side streets remained clogged with snow 48 hours after Saturday's storm, prompting the city to ask for the state Department of Transportation to help with removal and street cleaning.
Even with the state assist, however, a number of side streets Tuesday afternoon were still clotted with snow and ice while major roadways, like McCarter, were narrowed by towering piles of plowed snow.
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook