On Monday, an overturned tractor-trailer knocked out a portion of the wall on the New Jersey Turnpike in Elizabeth, after it crashed into a wall on the side of a lane, compromising the integrity and safety road and unleashing much noise for nearby residents.
The incident that occurred at around 8 PM, lead to debris falling onto Elizabeth Avenue at Fourth Street below. Early Tuesday morning, crews dismantled the damaged overpass and worked to clean up debris.
Now, engineers are assessing the damage caused by the collision.
The outer roadway was closed down after the incident, but has mostly reopened since, excluding a turnpike vehicle blocking the specific section where the hole was. An investigation into the accident is still ongoing, but for the meantime, the giant gap in the very busy turnpike remains.
Until the wall is fixed, residents of New Jersey will have to endure the absence of the noise barrier which is meant to reduce traffic sounds for neighborhoods along the highway.
Since the incident, no injuries have been reported, according to Chris Bollwage, the mayor of Elizabeth, who also shared a photo on X of the debris that fell onto Elizabeth Avenue.
