Say I’m travelling north on the New Jersey Turnpike. Is it generally faster to go across the Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island to the Verazzano, or is it better to go across the Gothels Bridge to the Verazzano? Is one way or the other better when leaving Brooklyn?
I always take the Goethals Bridge; I think I may have used the Outerbridge exactly once over the 20 years I’ve lived in NYC.
But it’s a matter of opinion.
So I’ll move this thread to IMHO.
Did you know the Outerbridge Crossing was named after Eugenius H. Outerbridge, the first Chairman of the Port Authority?
[/useless fact]
Depends where you’re going to or coming from.
Since you’re going north on the Tpke, I’d say you’d be better off taking the Outerbridge. If you’re going to be heading back south, I’d say take the Outerbridge. If you are going to be heading north, take the Goethals.
Give me some specifics, and I can give you a definitive answer. Also, please include the time of day you will be traveling.
Given that I live north of the Outerbridge and south of the Goethals, and go to Staten Island and/or Brooklyn quite frequently, I have to make this decision all the time.
(and for those of you wondering why I don’t just take the Goethals all the time since it leads right to the Staten Island Expressway–at many times of the day, going south on the Parkway and then north on 440 takes a lot less time, even though it’s more miles.)
p.s. As may be obvious, I’m slightly obsessed with the various routes one can take from central Jersey to the different parts of NYC and Long Island.
Late morning/early afternoon on Sunday, 11 August, from Baltimore to JFK airport. Assuming the plane gets in on time, we make a stop in Flatbush for dinner and then back to Baltimore in the evening.
Well, despite lurking for…a long time… this will be my first post ever to the SDMB. Yay!
Anyway… Knighted, just as an FYI, the Outerbridge is in the midst of a very-long redecking project at the moment, and is closed eastbound (going from NJ to Staten Is.) overnight, most nights. Thus, the Goethals is the better choice IMHO…(is Goethals right? I can never spell that right…)
Oh, and Green Bean - I live about five miles from exit 135, that’s where I get on the Parkway anytime I’m going north. So…uhhh…Hey Neighbor!
And now back to permanently lurking…
Yeah, take the Goethals to the Verazzano; that would be best, both inbound and outbound.
When driving in the New York area, I recommend either traveling between 11:00 PM and 4:00 AM, or taking a flying car.
using MS streets and trips slelecting a place in brooklyn and a place along the turnpike south of the outerbridge crossing I get:
Recommended
gothels 39 minute, 42 miles
forced
Outerbridge 48 minutes, 39.8 miles
The main reason for the time difference is the outerbridge is considered a state road while the gothels is considered a hwy. The programs just uses ave speeds for each type of road not speed specific to that road.
I usually take the outer if I’m going south in NJ and the gothels if I’m crossing NJ - Mainly to save the tolls because to me the distances are the same (maybe I’ll change my mind after thei thread). One advantage tot he Gothels is that you get more time (distance) on the NYT at 65 mph instead of the NYC hyway at 50 MPH.
I concur with the others–take the Goethals. But it may be worth your while to listen to 1010 or 880 for traffic updates while you are on your way. If there is some kind of problem on the Goethals, then you can take the Outerbridge.
Hi back, KozGuitar. Hopefully you’ll de-lurk again soon. We need more Jersey folk on the board. BTW where do you live? I’m in Westfield, so I actually use 137 part of the time.
Another note: summer Sundays 440 is particularly bad, with people coming back from weekends at the beach - uh, Jersey Shore, or AC, bottlenecking at the 440-SIE (278?) junction.
440 isn’t as good a shortcut as it was before they built all the movie theater and bowling alleys, etc in Travis.
I know, you want out of Jersey ASAP, but stick with it to the Goethels…
It’s late and I’m tired and I simply can’t think of a decent comeback. So, lurkernomore, I will leave you with this:
thhhhhhbbbbbbbtttttt 
You’re just sore because I never shaved my head like you suggested 
KVS:
I’ve never had a good experience with the Outerbridge. Go Goethals.
Green Bean, I’m in Edison, right near the Edison/Scotch Plains border.
Cool. I’ve been long meaning to organize a Jersey Dopefest. Maybe you’ll come. (I checked out your website–but I couldn’t figure out where you are playing next. I see you play in Linden. Do you ever play in New Brumfus?)
Chaim–I have to know: What’s happened to you on the Outerbridge? It always seemed to me to be such an innocuous little crossing.
I hate to be the one to tell you this, Green Bean…but the Outerbridge is…haunted.
Green Bean:
Assuming you want a serious answer and weren’t just being tongue-in-cheek: Traffic, traffic, nothin’ but traffic. From before getting onto the bridge all the way over it and onto 440 in Staten Island.
One Sunday in late March, my family and I took a day-trip down to Philadelphia. Took two hours to get there…five hours to get back. My other crossings of the Outerbridge were, if not that bad, certainly not what anyone would reasonably consider “good.”
Chaim Mattis Keller
Wow! I’ve managed to lurk for probably two years without a post and you manage to drag two out of me in one day!
Assuming, of course, that this doesn’t time out. Like it seems to have been doing incessantly today…
Sorry about the continued hijack, but if someone asks about my band I have to oblige!
Sorry about that, we’re a band of slackers! My drummer hasn’t updated the main site in months, and I haven’t added the next show to the schedule! We’re playing at the Cup in Linden on 8/16, opening for… hm… someone…
Despite the laziness, we do have a cd coming out about a month after we get around to fixing the artwork and submitting it to
the duplication people… so if you liked the mp3’s we have up, or like what you hear when you check out the live show hint hint you can submit your email address to find out when it comes out!
Played in NB twice that I can recall, neither time really worked out well. Seems like most of the live music venues in hub city have gone away… Buda doesn’t do music anymore…Melody is closed…
Wow, that was a longer hijack than I thought! Thanks for the interest, and I’ll keep reading, and who knows, maybe even posting on occasion!
-Jon
I guess I should post something on topic after that last one…
I’ve been on the outerbridge precisely twice in my life. Once, coming from SI towards home, riding my motorcycle on an extremely hot July day, at the end of a long ride, stuck in insane traffic going towards the shore. Thought I was going to die…
The other time, however, was going to play a show on SI, and there was actually so little traffic that I got there in about 15 minutes, realized I forgot something, turned around, drove back home, and back to the club and was still early enough to sit around bored for awhile. I guess the idea of hanging out on a friday night doesn’t include Staten Island for most people…
I have never hit traffic on the Goethals, which is odd because the only time I take it is going to family on Long Island, usually on fun travel days like mother’s day. There’s often traffic on (278? Not sure, usually my dad drives), but on the actual bridge, nothing.
-Jon
PS, if this posts twice it’s not my fault! It timed out again, it’s really not a blatant attempt at raises my post count!
Raising dammit. Not raises. I can speak english…really.
:smack: